Midgar: The Soap
by purefoysgirl
Summary: All of the Final Fantasy VII characters from all games/movies together in a soap-opera style story: lots of sex, lots of intrigue, lots of hilarity! Pairings change constantly, both traditional and non. If you like it, review it, please!
1. Episode 1

"_And you best be knowin', pussy still is the best thang goin'  
Any extra doughin', come invest in ho'in._"

—(Cam'Ron, Bonecrusher "Never Scared" Remix)

It ain't like Midgar has got any apologies to make. On a good day, she's a giving city—entertainment, culture, history, adventures. Of course, on a _bad_ day she's a spiteful, vindictive little whore out to gut you and leave you robbed in an alley somewhere down in the slums. Problem is, she mostly has bad days, at least for folks who _aren't_ affiliated with the great ShinRa Empire…and those of them stupid enough to wander where the shadows never lift and pale denizens can smell money like fresh meat.

Thing is, you gotta take her like she is, good and bad and all. She likes you better that way, and she _always_ treats you right if she likes you. Take me, prime example—born down under the belly of the world where light was a flickering dream of heaven and the stench could knock you out at twenty paces. Worst sector in the worst plate in the worst part of this gorgeous bitch of a city. It's a place where scum breed who can't even be classified as human, and it's where I came squalling into the world already thinking it owed me something. I was born in a place that no one got out of, but _I_ did.

I make my own exceptions.

I won't bore you with how I got where I am, sufficed to say, money makes Midgar go round, and I got it in spades. What I lack in education, I purchase in smart advisors. I bought myself manners, a past, a pedigree—everything I'd need to run my show up top of the plate.

And now here I am, fuck if I ain't right-hand-man to monster ShinRa himself, and me only somewhere in the vicinity of twenty-five…ish. Let's leave it at that.

I'll let you in on my little secret, and you can't be telling people, 'cause then it'll all go to hell in a hand-basket and I'll be hunting your stupid ass down to catch the early departure. See, too many smart men think that strength of arms is the way to secure their power base, but I found out when I was just a kid that the only thing that makes you strong, the only thing that won't fail you in a pinch, the only thing that can feed _all_ your hungers ain't weapons or money.

It's _flesh_.

I pawn it, I sell it, I rent it out. I smack it on the ass on its way out the door. I dress it up and parade it around and get other people's mouths to water for it before I charge them their life savings to have it. I wanna know something about somebody, I send one of my little beauties to their bed to get it. Some dumb fuck comes at me with a gun, I got a living shield ready to take one for me. Ain't a single one of them would deny me a fucking thing, and _that_ my curious little visitor, is true power.

All those little secrets, every little murmur of every sleeping executive and high-placed person, every skeleton in every closet—my little angels bring them all to me, and I feed them to the ShinRa, 'cause he's the only thing I got that's close to a friend, and I'm the only thing he's got that's close to a threat.

Yeah, life in Midgar is pretty fucking sweet if you know which side your bread is buttered on. You could be a fucker and call me a pimp, but I prefer Investment Manager, thanks. 'Cause I managed my investments in pussy and ass and I got myself my own little Empire. Ain't nobody telling me I'm under-plate scum _now_, got it? Ain't nobody looking to knock me down, stick a knife in my ribs, and rifle my wallet, right? I'm fucking _famous_ these days, living the dream. You come to Midgar and don't know who I am, you'd better be fucking asking somebody, 'cause I got some sidelines in the kind of flesh that likes to bite, and I'd hate to have to sick 'em on your ass.

_Rufus_ calls me Reno.

_You_ can call me any time.

Welcome to Midgar, yo.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

"_I was born into this_

_Everything turns to shit_

_The boy that you loved is the man that you fear_"

—(Marilyn Manson, "Man That You Fear")

Don't ever let anyone tell you that arranged marriages are a good idea. Whoever they are, they're just trying to gain the upper hand.

I should know, I've _lived_ it.

My old man made a deal a long time ago that I had no say in, no way to get out of. He splurged to bail the company out of certain ruin and had to borrow pretty heavily against investments overseas. When the bill came due, he couldn't pay up, and the great ShinRa family was on the brink of self-immolation. Out of nowhere, like some kind of fucking messenger from heaven, he gets an offer from the Jenova family. Yeah, go figure, right? Most powerful goddamned family outside of our continent and they decide to "help out" poor little old ShinRa. In truth, they wanted access to things they couldn't purchase by buying us out—the labs, the squirrely scientists, the fucking genius madmen and women who worked for us and would gleefully destroy _everything_ to keep someone else from claiming it. To keep it all stable, to keep everything nice and neat, they made my old man a deal—marry the boy off to a Jenova, keep the fucking company, build your power to the max and make sure we get the benefits if we ever need it. A liaison was, apparently, a better plan than a hostile takeover.

Only problem was, the Jenova's throw _males_. They've never had a woman one born to them, boys to the very last one, even the bastards. I didn't know that when the old man jumped on the offer. Fuck, I don't think _he_ knew it, either. He said yes and they came en mass for the largest wedding the world has ever seen—the merging of two Empires.

Fuck, what did _I_ know? I was seventeen at the time, I'd only just started throwing money Reno's way for discreet partners who wouldn't try to blackmail me with a surprise pregnancy or a slip to the media. He's many very bad, very ugly things, but Reno is one smart fucking cookie when it comes to doing business and providing his customers their privacy.

If I'd listened to him, I might not be where I am right now, in many different ways. For starters, I'd be a penniless nobody—which is why he only told me the Jenova "secret" reluctantly. Second, I wouldn't have married Yazoo, who was only one very tender, very frightened fourteen year old at the time.

I also wouldn't be the subject of pity and speculation on the public's part because my wife can't have an heir.

Of course, it would help if she weren't a _man_.

I tried not to blame him at first because he honestly didn't know anything was wrong. They're weirdos, my in-laws, and they basically raised Yazoo to _be_ a girl since his mother wanted a daughter more than she wanted anything and they had two older sons to spare. Yazoo was the baby and, according to their family inheritance rules, would be nothing more than dependant upon his parents for the rest of his life, so daddy-Jenova gave it the okay and Mommy-Jenova got herself a "little girl."

Now…now I blame him. I blame him because he's still so naïve. I blame him because he's still so gorgeous nobody on "the outside" could guess he's a man. I blame him because I got tricked into raising him and keeping him in the style to which he was accustomed. I actually hate him for it, even though it isn't his fault. I hate him and I resent him and I can't count the times I've left him huddled in tears and miserable, but I never go back because I just don't _care_ about him. If I didn't think the Jenovas would start a war, I'd just have Reno slit his throat one night, or sell him to my flesh-peddling and amusing companion. As it stands, I just put him on my arm when I go out in public and hope nobody notices that his throat is always covered in a diamond choker, or that his "breasts" are never showing a hint of cleavage. It's a tiresome façade, but he doesn't complain about it.

In that, at least, Yazoo is a model wife.

* * *

"_This is not really, this, this, this not really happening…  
You bet your life it is_"

—(Tori Amos, "Cornflake Girl")

Like so many other days, I wish I could just go home. My mother calls me, but I don't really have anything to say anymore. Rufus has silenced me in as many ways as he can, and he's always been so good at what he does.

I used to think that if he just gave me a chance, we'd be happy together. I knew from a young age that I could never have a child, so I understand that I can never give him the heir he requires. My mother made sure I understood that much. But any time I asked her why I had the same kind of body as my brothers—caught in unguarded moments, in the casual nudity that defines life in our household—she always told me that I was her special little girl. She said that on my wedding day, when I was afraid to leave her. She squeezed my hand and she told me that I was her special little girl, and that I would be Rufus's special girl, that he would treat me as the princess I was.

Nobody warned him, and I didn't know I should've.

I know better now.

Men approach me, they can't seem to resist it. I'm the wife of Rufus ShinRa, what a notch I would be on their bedposts! That's all I am. A conquest, an object, a thing. Living as a woman all of these years, I know better than any man just what they have to deal with in their daily lives—the groping, the innuendos, the words designed to make one feel _less_, feel _weak_, feel _afraid_. Wolf whistles and leers, offers that would burn the ears off of a sailor, clothing considered only in light of what a woman is offering. I can't even purchase a skirt because I like it without having to check the hem-length and wonder if I'm sending some unintentional signal that I _want_ to be spoken to in such a cheap, ugly way.

Honestly, if I want that sort of thing, I'll have a conversation with Reno. He practically lives at our home anyway.

I've been married for close to nine years now, and Rufus has slowly come to hate me. I tried, in the beginning, but he was so enraged by the trick my family had played on him that he wouldn't even consider it. After _that_ fire had burned down, my lack of age had come into play. Once that wasn't an issue, he was finding his solace with the women Reno supplied him…Never once have we shared a bed, not even on our wedding night. I could get an annulment on those grounds, but I would never do that to him.

Even if he hates me, I've come to be quite fond of him. I wouldn't call it love, but he's all I've ever known, and he has moments when he can be very thoughtful and charming.

Still, as if to punish my family for pulling such a stunt—despite the fact that it saved his father from financial ruin and merged two political and monetary powerhouses—Rufus forbade me from seeing them outside of public appearances, and they are not allowed to step foot inside our home.

Yet he lets Reno bring in a string of women who range from downright scum to socialites…imagine that. Imagine how that feels, to have your very own home throw its doors wide for perfect strangers to enter and sleep with your husband. How would _you_ like to have your breakfast interrupted by women looking for the front door, making their smirking apologies to you with the scent of your husband's body on them?

Needless to say, I've taken my breakfast in my parlor for years now.

Sometimes, Reno joins me.

Most often, it's Rude.

Rufus hired him to watch over me—which meant to make sure I didn't take a lover, didn't betray myself to the world at large. As if I would even know how! All I've ever been was a woman, I could no more be a man than Rufus could be a nun.

Still, I must say that Rude's quiet, steady presence is a blessing. He never intrudes, never upsets me. He rides with me out shopping, he stands in the background while I hold High Tea for the monthly gardening club, he paces just behind me while I make appearances at local schools. I wish that he would take off his sunglasses just once. I like to think about what color his eyes are. I think they're brown, like the rest of him. I like the color of his skin, it looks so dark against my own when he hands me out of the limo, but when he isn't framed by my own white skin he's the color of coffee with cream in it.

I want to ask him his name, his _real_ name. I want to tell him a secret.

I just want to stop being so lonely.

It isn't fair of me to think such things about him.

I'll keep my thoughts to myself where they can't hurt anyone, and keep pretending.

* * *

Episode two completes the first person perspective and then it all starts to snowball. I was reluctant to post it here on , but a good friend of mine from here and Live Journal insisted, so thank you Sussurous! Midgar: The Soap is updated every Monday, current episodes can be found through my Live Journal page, which is listed in my profile. Happy reading!


	2. Episode 2

"_Nothin' in life is free, especially not me_"

—(Oobie, Lil Jon And The Eastside Boys, "Nothing's Free")

So, I guess things could've gone worse, in the long run. I came up from nothing and I'll probably go out that way, but for the time being, I have everything I need to get by.

I started out turning tricks under the plate until Reno's dogs found me. One thing he doesn't tolerate is people working off of his books—he makes you part of his family or you just vanish. So I figured family suited me _just_ fine.

Reno's outfit provides medical care, food, a fucking _gorgeous_ place to live, and if you don't wanna pop johns for a living you don't have to. If you're under a certain age and you don't wanna go with the pervs, you can work in the kitchens or the laundry. If you're sick of it, you can waitress in his clubs or tend bar or be on clean-up crew for after-hours. He's an all-in-house Empire, and that's why he's so successful. He doesn't have to pay workers, he gets them for free.

I was part of his "study." Yeah, his "study," he called it. He housed four of us girls in another country with nobles who groomed us to be little ladies and showed us off as we grew, hinting that we were quality socialites. Nobody questioned it. Rufus ShinRa supported it by inviting us to parties, and Midgar just swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. With that kind of "background" the four of us became Reno's first group of super-high-class prostitutes. We take discretion to untold levels and we made his escort service a fucking fortune.

Thanks to him, I'm in bed with Old Man ShinRa.

No, _literally_.

Reno sent me to him as a birthday gift and I just…stayed.

'_Laney_,' he'd said to me—and he's the only one who can get away with calling me that. For everyone else, it's _Elena_. '_Laney, this guy's the squicks, but if you can stomach it, you got a guaranteed fortune at your pretty little fingertips_…'

I've never seen anyone tell Reno "no," and _I_ certainly never could.

I'll never know how much ShinRa paid for me—part of Reno's "privacy act" is that the money goes straight to him and the girls and boys never find out what they're worth—but I'm betting it's quite a bit on a monthly basis. Hell, the old man throws so much my way, I can't complain. The fact of the matter is, Reno is generous and so are our customers—his little "beauties" lack for nothing and retire when they feel like it. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

I don't think I would've stayed with ShinRa if it hadn't been for Kadaj, though.

A few years ago, when Reno came personally to collect the four of us, he caught wind of a boy on the bad side of seedy who could pull a crowd all by himself. He went to check it out and came back with the Terror.

We call Kadaj the Terror because even at thirteen, he wanted to run the show. And he _did_. As soon as we hit Midgar, the boy was bossing around the staff in his sharp little boy-voice, putting the fear of his temper into them. If Reno hadn't been so amused by it, so willing to put up with it, so understanding of his beauties, and so quick to toss money and favors to fix hurt feelings, then I think he might've lost his Empire due to one very bratty, very snotty little kid.

Now that Kadaj has a few years under him, he's actually become so adept at handling the business end of things that Reno leaves him in charge. He got his temper under control for the most part, and deals with everyone like the damned Mistress of the House—but he's fair and he's shrewd and he's quick to cut off people who threaten or discomfit his "_meimei_s."

There's a few of us he won't tolerate, though—and I'm one of them. So I stay in the ShinRa Mansion with that whale of a man slobbering all over me, half of the time not even making it inside before he's coming. Reno wasn't joking when he said he's the squicks.

Yeah, things changed when Kadaj came into our world. Apparently, Reno's bedroom used to be open twenty-four-seven, even when he wasn't home. Anyone could sleep in his huge bed, and if he was in it, all the better, though he's never once touched any of us…and that tends to be both disappointing and part of his draw.

Kadaj put a stop to that.

_He_ sleeps in Reno's room.

_He _plays second to our boss.

_He's_ the little Mistress, and we all just have to deal because it seems to suit Reno just fine.

For all that, I figured Kadaj would take over disciplining everyone, too, but Reno won't allow it. Even though he doesn't like the necessity of doing so, when a girl or a boy fucks up and tells tales out of turn, Reno is always the one who shuts them up for good. He won't give Kadaj that much power.

It makes me think better of him, and it keeps everyone in line. None of us wants to disappoint Reno; we all love him too much.

But nobody loves him like _Kadaj_.

* * *

"_I don't care if you don't want me, _

_'cause I'm yours, yours, yours anyhow_"

—(Marilyn Manson "I Put A Spell On You")

I am seventeen this year, and after four years in this beautiful city I know why he is so in love with her. If she were a real woman, I would love her, too, but instead I love my Reno.

I run his Empire, and I am _very_ good at what I do.

Since I came to this country, I haven't had to suck a single cock or bend over for single old man unless I've _wanted to_. And I _don't_ want to. I save it all for him, even though he isn't around much. Since I take such good care of things, he stays with his friend for the most part. He strokes my hair and says, "You're such a good boy, Cateyes. You can take care of things for me, yeah?"

I always tell him yes.

When he comes home, I am waiting for him.

I sleep in his bed when he isn't there, I keep the sheets warm for him. I keep the money flowing, I make the payments that must be made and the repairs that must be done and resolve the fights the girls and boys have all of the time with each other. I do anything and everything he needs me to do. If he wants me with a woman, I pick one. If he wants me with a man, I pick one. If he wants me with _anything_, he says so and I do it. I do it for him.

I am worried now, though. I see that he is spending time with his ShinRa friend. I see that he seems occupied when he comes home to me. I see the pictures in the magazines of him with ShinRa's pretty wife and I worry.

I worry.

There is always that bald man there, impassive and scary. I wonder sometimes if the scary man is her lover, and hates my Reno. I worry that his cock will think for him and get him killed.

She is so beautiful but so sad.

She looks like me.

Reno says that sometimes when he holds me on his lap and snuggles me.

'_You could be siblings_,' he says. '_Cateyes_.'

It's what he calls me, his Cateyes.

Sometimes, when he doesn't come home for a long time or answer his phone, I have to call the man in Dai Jiao and give him the ledgers, get the new address to digitally send them to. He is a scary man, too, though I have only seen him once.

The time that I saw him, he looked at me and said in the language of _my_ people, '_I remember _you_, pretty darling_…'

I do not remember _him_. He makes me afraid. I would remember that.

Reno tells me not to "sweat it" and that Tseng is harmless.

I was raised in the slums of a country far more depraved that _this_ one. I was touched by people who kill other people for fun. I know when a man is harmless and when he is not.

Tseng is _not_.

* * *

"_Who knows? Not me, I never lost control,_

_You're face, to face, with the man who sold the world_."

—(David Bowie "The Man Who Sold The World")

Business is a fine thing and I have worked very hard to become the master of it. I am a man in shadows, quietly running things without others knowing it. I am a man who gambles, although only with other people's money. Ten years ago when I was a clerk at an investment firm, I took a gamble on a sharp-eyed, dangerous creature who claimed he needed a man of my…_persuasion_.

Ten years ago I made the decision that made me an extremely wealthy man.

With that boy's money I opened my _own_ firm, started businesses through which he runs his money and reinvests. Every gil that he—a man now, and still sharp-eyed, still dangerous—makes goes through my hands. He gave me the means and I built his Empire. He had the idea, I had the know-how. He has the charisma, I have the business sense. It is more perfect than any marriage, and he has prospered well beyond his wildest dreams.

As have I.

I am content, for the most part, to stay here in Dai Jiao where I am king in all but name. Reno calls me from time to time, inquiring over the state of things. I never underestimate him—he is cunning, his instincts sharpened to a fine edge. In that we are equals, though he is younger than I. But, at his insistence just a short time ago, I went to visit him in his beloved city. Dai Jiao does not _require_ my presence; it is simply that I prefer to surround myself with those who fear me, with those who bow their heads to the ground when I pass by them. It gives me satisfaction to see them lower themselves before a bastard-born boy who was given a death-sentence at birth. Reno, at least, appreciates my sentiment.

However, when I visited him, I saw that he had in his possession none other than the Jewel I had tasted once upon a time—the boy, Kadaj. I have met him before, though he does not seem to remember. He was very young at the time, young enough that I did not take that which I paid to have. He fascinates me now as he did then.

I am not surprised that Reno has him. He himself has spent time with the rather eccentric Jenova clan…Kadaj's resemblance would not have escaped him.

I am considering a return trip to Midgar. There are circumstances that make it worth my while. There is a man there that I saw, an old acquaintance of mine who is currently guarding the beautiful, sorrowful, and exquisitely delicate Mrs. ShinRa. I should like to see her closer. She is, after all, the only female born to the Jenovas in the history of their line.

I believe I shall go to Midgar.

I would wager my own Empire that you would go, too, if you knew what _I_ know.

* * *

This concludes the Character Intros, so next Saturday it will be an actual "Episode." Get ready to feed your drama llamas and gasp your "Oh no he _didn't!_"s, 'cause the nonsense is a'coming!


	3. Episode 3

Rufus ShinRa got out of his limo to a flurry of reporters, smiling his best smile and looking every inch the dashing gillionaire he was. He reached back in and helped Yazoo out, ever the attentive husband.

Yazoo looked absolutely beautiful and delicate in his evening gown, his silver hair piled atop his head in artless curls, his jade eyes edged in smoky grey to make them even larger, even more beautiful. There was nothing to even _hint_ at his true gender—the low-backed gown fastened around his throat, clinging to the contours of his perfectly shaped breasts and enveloping his throat in silver braiding. Rufus didn't ask how he made the illusion so believable, he just lived in silent panic that someone might someday find out.

They smiled and waved as they moved down the red carpet with that silent bull of a man, Rude, following in their wake. Every once in awhile, Yazoo would stop to call a greeting to a particular member of the paparazzi. He said that they liked to be remembered and were more prone to say good things if they were. Rufus could hardly argue that since his wife was the darling of Midgarian society.

"What the fuck are we doing here again?" he asked, breathing it into Yazoo's ear with a smile, as if he were whispering endearments instead.

Yazoo smiled in return and murmured, "Opening night of _Loveless_, Rufus. Our absence would be impossible to explain."

He grunted, remembering suddenly that he detested plays—particularly _Loveless_. It made him want to gouge his eyeballs out with a spoon. The new female lead was supposed to be the Wutain Emperor's daughter, Yuffie or Yuppie or something like that. In his opinion, she was just another famous royal kid with delusions of talent. Rufus had seen pictures and thought she rather resembled a boy. The Kisagari family was infamous for their wild, unruly children. Every other day they were in the tabloids, drunk and falling out of cars, dancing on tables, giving impromptu strip teases on street corners. Rufus had never seen the like, and wondered if this play would wind up a little more interesting after all, considering there was a Kisagari involved.

Yazoo kept that calm, mysterious smile on his face and, not for the first time, Rufus ruefully wished he really _was_ a woman. It was frustrating to be married to one of the most beautiful women in the country and not be able to sleep with her. But, however flawless the illusion, Rufus couldn't swallow it _that_ much.

They pushed past the flood of reporters, cameras, and flashing lights and were shown to their box.

"My lovely little Yazoo!"

Rufus groaned and rolled his eyes as his father struggled to his feet and met them at the entrance, taking Yazoo's dainty hands in his own meaty ones and kissing his cheeks.

"Why, my pet, it has been too long!" the fat old man proclaimed, ignoring Rufus, who gave him a sarcastic wave.

Rude took up his place next to the box entrance, gloved hands crossed in front of him and his eyes unreadable behind his mirrored sunglasses. He gave Rufus the creeps but the man certainly did his job—with him to baby-sit Yazoo, Rufus no longer had to.

Yazoo shot Rufus an apologetic look but willingly let the old President lead him away to be seated.

"My dear, you remember Elena," he said, gesturing towards the elegant, cool young blonde woman already seated.

"Yes, of course, how are you?" Yazoo asked.

Elena gave him an insincere smile and turned her head out towards the theater.

Rufus leered at her, but wisely behaved himself. His father had formed an odd and deep attachment to the bored and disdainful young lady, and Rufus wasn't fool enough to test that. Still, he sat down next to her and eyed her, giving her his winning smile when Elena happened to turn and look at him.

"How've you been?" he asked.

"Bored," she answered, flicking her eyes to the President, who was chatting at Yazoo as if he really was his beloved daughter-in-law. "And you?"

"Getting along, I suppose," Rufus said, shrugging.

Elena's icy blue eyes darted around the box before they settled on Rufus once more. In a voice that was too composed to be real, she asked, "Is Reno coming with you tonight?"

Rufus smirked and shook his head, saying, "No, he had his own things to take care of. I imagine he'll crash in here later. Why? Been awhile?"

She nodded, and brushed at an imaginary wrinkle in her filmy, ice-blue dress.

"You see him, tell him to call me," she said, trying for indifferent and only hitting pleading. "I'm losing my mind in that mansion."

"I could fix that for you," Rufus graciously offered.

Elena's eyes snapped up, narrowing.

Rufus's smirk widened and he whispered, "Make friends with my wife."

Elena wrinkled her nose.

"You know, Reno spends most of his time at my house," Rufus said, making conversation. "And when he's there, he's always with Yazoo when he isn't with me."

Elena glared at him, her beautiful face tightening with what could only be jealousy.

"So," she said, her voice frosty. "You're perfectly content that he's fucking your wife?"

Rufus shrugged and leaned back in his chair, sighing, "As long as _I_ don't have to."

The lights went down and Rufus idly tried to stay awake, yawning and amusing himself by watching the other patrons. The ShinRa box was at a superb angle, offering the best viewing of both stage and seating at large, so he certainly found himself with a lot to look at. Elena feigned interest, every once in awhile her blue eyes darting to scan the crowd, looking for that trademark red hair. Yazoo and the President both watched the play with rapt absorption, despite the young Kisagari's horrifying performance.

Midway through, just after the interlude, there was a ruckus and Rufus perked up, grinning to see his incorrigible friend stumbling down the main aisle, a shapely brunette woman on one side, a thin blonde woman on the other, and trailed by the slender youth that he'd only vaguely referred to as his bodyguard. Rufus had thought that the boy—Kadaj—looked more suited to be employed in Reno's escort service until he'd seen him easily dispatch a frenzied would-be-history-maker intent on offing the red-headed man.

"Ugh, why on earth that man is allowed in civilized company, I'll never know," the President declared, disgusted. He preferred for Reno to remain in the background, along with his secrets and sidelines. The President didn't like to be reminded that the only way he got to enjoy the charms of his precious Elena was through his continued dealings with Reno, and he knew too well how his delicious little frost-pop felt about her _employer_—"crush" wouldn't quite cover it. "Obsession" was closer.

Rufus glanced at Elena and saw her leaning forward in her seat a little, as if she were struggling to stay seated, to stay within the illusion that Reno had created for her in society. Her eyes were wide and excited, her cheeks flushed and her ripe mouth parted. He reached over and squeezed her delicate wrist, which brought her sharply back to earth. She gave him an angry but understanding look and settled back into her seat, composing herself.

Yazoo just laughed softly, ever willing to overlook Reno's behavior…along with the rest of Midgar. Right up there with Rufus, Reno was one of the beloved party-boys in this city of jaded and spoiled _nouveau riche_. He, for one, was perfectly content with his lot—rubbing elbows with movie stars, drinking with rockers, cocktails with diplomats and affairs with diplomat's wives. It was a very full lifestyle and the only thing that hampered it for Rufus was the presence of his beautiful wife.

Thinking of Yazoo, he looked at that imitation of every feminine charm and frowned a little. Even the soft light of the theater only complimented his pale skin and sparkling eyes. It was monstrous to Rufus that he could so easily fool the entire world with his façade, but he would be an idiot to expose him, and it would gain him nothing but ridicule.

The ruckus died down as Reno took his seat, sprawling across his dates with that boy sitting just behind him, alert and watchful, one slender hand on the hilt of the _souba_ he carried with him absolutely _everywhere_.

Reno actually behaved himself for awhile, though many of the patrons had started to watch _him_ instead, waiting for him to do something outrageous.

He didn't fail them. After less than fifteen minutes of watching, he loudly asked, "Am I the only one who thinks this play stinks?"

There was a ripple of shocked gasps, outcries, and laughter.

Rufus leaned over the edge of the box, laughing and shouting, "You tell 'em, Reno!"

"Be still, you imbecile boy!" the President hissed at Rufus, furious.

Reno's head craned around and he gave Rufus a cheery wave before he shoved himself to his feet and made his way towards the stage.

The Kisagari girl had paused in her badly spoken lines and was looking at him with open amusement and the borderline madness that so defined her and her siblings.

"Boring, right?" Reno asked, spreading his arms wide and turning around with his back to the stage to ask the question of the gathered audience.

Yuffie leapt off of the stage with a loud war cry and landed on Reno's back, either intending to tackle him or just knock him down. At any rate, he staggered under her weight and stayed standing, smirking at the resulting wave of shocked laughter from the crowd. Hitching her up under her thin legs, he said, "Come on, momma; let's get the fuck outta here."

Followed by his entourage, Reno made his drunk, weaving way back out of the theater proper with the Princess of Wutai riding his back, howling like a banshee with wild, youthful glee while the crowd cheered, laughed, and shouted. Nearly everyone secretly felt that _Loveless_ was probably one of the most pretentious and boring pieces to ever survive the cleansing fire of rational thought, and Reno's stroke-inducing behavior added the delicious taste of scandal to an otherwise redundant evening at the theater. Though some of them were genuinely offended, for the most part the audience was merely relieved at the interruption and now had juicy gossip to whisper over during the last act—Midgar's resident playboy and most eligible bachelor stealing away the Princess of Wutai, right from the stage. The romance of it would give the tabloids heavy fodder for the next few weeks…until he did something _else_ to shock them.

The other actors stood in traumatized silence, unable to continue for the moment until the understudy could be supplied, though no one really noticed in the current state of turmoil.

Rufus wiped his eyes and stood, saying to Rude through his laughter, "Take Mrs. ShinRa wherever she wants."

With that, he hurried out of the box and down the stairs to catch Reno before he left. A night of drunken antics beat _Loveless_ any day in Rufus's educated and snobbish opinion.

* * *

Yazoo suppressed another chuckle at the thought of Reno wobbling away with that insane little creature clinging to his back for dear life. Knowing Reno as well as he did, he knew the man was so drunk he probably had no idea what was going on, and he didn't envy him the shock of waking up next to the barely legal young Kisagari Princess.

Rude gave him a curious look and Yazoo just waved his dainty hand, hiding his smile behind his hand. After a moment, he said in his low, whisper-soft voice, "It's just funny to me, that they pretend to be so shocked."

Rude's brows rose in question. Seated as he was across from Yazoo in the purring limousine, he looked frighteningly large and dangerous, but Yazoo knew better than to be afraid.

"Everyone," Yazoo sighed in answer, still laughing lowly. "They were all just waiting for him to do _something_ to liven their night up a little. I have to remember to ask Marlene for _FLASH!_ tomorrow."

Rude smirked. _FLASH!_ Magazine was one of Midgar's premier tabloids, and always brought the juiciest gossip to light for public consumption. Rude thought that the people of this country were practically _Victorian_ in their love of scandal and rumor.

"Blackmail material," Yazoo giggled, though it was teasing and without malice.

"Elena," Rude said, turning Yazoo's train of thought.

"Hm," Yazoo sighed, frowning a little, his amusement forgotten. "Yes, I thought she didn't like me. Well, I suppose people can change."

Rude didn't look convinced. He'd glowered when the icy blond had suddenly developed an intense interest in Yazoo, apparently quite determined to be Mrs. ShinRa's new best friend.

"Oh, come, now, Rude," Yazoo teased, his beautiful face revealed by the passing streetlights. "Have faith! It isn't like I have so many friends, after all…"

"She's a prostitute," Rude reminded.

Yazoo gave him a soft smile and breathed, "Well, I shouldn't hold that against her. I'm sure she has her reasons for what she does, and Mr. ShinRa does love her so. It would please him if we were to be friends, I think. I will call on her tomorrow."

Rude scowled at the idea.

Yazoo dimpled at him and said, "Yes, of course you'll come along!"

They rode in silence the rest of the way to the towering building in the gated section of the city that was otherwise known as ShinRa Estates. Before they rolled to a stop in the curved drive, Rude inquired, "Do you wish me to stay tonight, Mrs. ShinRa?"

He didn't need to say what they both knew—with Rufus involved, Reno would wind up back in the house along with whatever other social leeches they'd managed to collect. It made Yazoo nervous to have strangers in the house, and it soothed him that Rude offered his protection accordingly, knowing him so well.

"No, it will be fine, I'm sure," Yazoo said, giving him a reassuring smile.

Rude got out and helped Yazoo out, reaching in to fetch the little beaded purse and hand it over.

"Goodnight, Rude," Yazoo said, beautiful face tilted up and cocked, languid jade eyes full of that ever-present sadness. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes, Mrs. ShinRa. Goodnight," he said, and got back in the limo to ride to the garage, where his own car was currently parked.

Yazoo watched the taillights vanish around the hedging and made his way up the many steps to the double doors, his heels clicking on the expensive stone and a soft smile on his face.

He had to admit, life in Midgar was anything but boring.

* * *

Elena sat up late, long after ShinRa Senior had dropped off for the night, snoring loud enough to wake the dead and otherwise being an utterly annoying excuse for a fat old man.

Her hands shook when she lit a cigarette, huddled in her silk robe out on the topmost balcony overlooking the glaring city lights. She kept remembering Rufus's easy comment, how Reno was with Yazoo all of the time.

She exhaled angrily, close to tears. She'd never really paid attention to Yazoo before—the woman was an utter bore, so straight-laced that she made nuns look positively whorish. Being told that she was in Reno's bed had made Elena take a more objective look at her, and she hadn't cared at all for what she'd seen. The woman was simply too good to be true, somehow more delicate and feminine than any woman Elena had ever known. It wasn't fucking _fair_ that such a spoiled, indulged princess not only was married to _the_ Rufus ShinRa, but was _also_ in bed with Reno! Elena had worked every day of her life since returning to this country to get into Reno's bed, which was why Kadaj would no more tolerate her than he would a cockroach—the boy was no fool, he knew competition when he saw it.

She got her angry trembling under control and took another drag, recalling all too well Reno's policy on his "beauties"—no touching, _ever_. The girls and boys would stop feeling safe, he felt…or so he said. The only ones he fucked were the ones who _didn't _hustle for him, like Kadaj, like the stupid senators' daughters he brought home, or the foreign men he picked up in his clubs. Elena knew his habits well enough to know that Yazoo was ripe for the taking as far as Reno was concerned. If Rufus didn't object, then there was simply no way he wasn't fucking her.

She growled a little, eyes tearing up. Here she was, stuck playing whore to that fat, sweaty boar of a man, wasting her youth and beauty on a dried up old geezer when she _should_ be enjoying the rich lifestyle of Yazoo ShinRa—the parties, the wardrobe, the clubs, the young and handsome husband, the bad-boy lover. It wasn't fucking _fair_!

"I've made my plans," she whispered, blinking away the tears and sniffing a little.

Oh, yes she had. Yazoo had seemed pleasantly surprised when Elena had approached her, her guileless jade eyes wide with naïve acceptance. She seemed willing and eager to make friends, and Elena would press that to her own advantage. Access to Yazoo meant access to Reno, time to speak with him in private and, maybe, convince him that this had all gone wrong. If nothing else, at least she could get some dirt on the flawless Yazoo ShinRa. It never hurt to have blackmail material on people like her.

Elena smiled through her tears, rocking softly with her knees pulled up to her chest and one arm wrapped around them, her trembling hand still holding the smoldering cigarette.

She would get out of this fucking mess, oh yes she would! She would take old ShinRa for everything he was worth and wind up back with Reno where she belonged. She would show him that his stupid rule was unnecessary, she would convince him to forget Kadaj and Yazoo and his philandering ways—she had desperation on her side, after all. She just needed a little time to convince him. That was all. Everything was going to be just fine, it _had_ to be.

Because she couldn't live like this anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing! There are several more chapters to go, so I hope everyone is buckled in and ready to go :D


	4. Episode 4

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay! My internet died Saturday before last, just after I updated Episode Three, so I apologize that the Soap didn't make it out on time last Saturday! Here's hoping the problem has been fixed for good, and thank you all for your patience and support!

* * *

Yazoo emerged from his powder room with every intention of having his breakfast, having Marlene do up his hair, and then going to several meetings, clubs, a luncheon, a visit with Elena, a public appearance, and some shopping with a few of the people he wouldn't dare classify as friends. He kept his social calendar relatively full to offset what was otherwise a rather lonely life deprived of his spouse or a caring family.

Instead of heading straight for his dayroom with its enclosed balcony where his pretty little breakfast nook was set, he veered back towards his bedroom to see if he'd left his earrings on his dresser. When he reached the door, he heard a sound from inside.

Cautiously, he pushed the door a little, expecting to see Reno rooting through his things on some urging of Rufus's, or even Marlene puttering about. He wasn't at all prepared to find a total stranger busily raking through his jewelry box.

It was none other than the starlet of last night's play—the absentee Princess Yuffie Kisagari, the self-proclaimed White Rose of Wutai.

"I'm afraid that's simply costume jewelry," Yazoo purred, eyes narrowing with annoyance and anger. He shoved the door open, one hand on the corset-shaped curve of his round hip, and leaned against the jamb.

Yuffie froze, fingers deep in paste jewelry. Yazoo kept such pretty things as mere decoration and had quite the collection that Rufus often teased him about. One of the few things his husband did with thoughtful consideration was to purchase Yazoo extravagant jewels and jewelry, saying that beauty deserved like beauty, regardless of gender.

"I keep the real jewelry in my safe," Yazoo coolly told her, striding into the room and pushing her away from his open jewelry box. A quick scan showed that she hadn't taken anything. "Get out of my room."

"Mrs. ShinRa, right?" the girl giggled, and bounced back a step, not in the least bit disturbed at being caught. "Rufus said you were more gorgeous in person—I thought you were pretty in the pictures."

"I'm flattered," Yazoo said, closing his jewelry box and turning to lean on his dresser, his arms crossed under the perfect curve of his breasts. Though he wore only a light robe, he never _ever_ left the privacy of his room without the body-shaping corset and bust-forming lingerie. No one knew his secret outside of his doctor, his husband, his father-in-law, and Reno, and Yazoo had no intentions of adding anyone else to the list. "However, I really don't like strangers traipsing about in my suite, and I certainly don't appreciate when guests in my home attempt to steal from me."

Yuffie giggled again, looking at Yazoo with sly brown eyes, her short, dark black hair in disarray. Yazoo noticed she was wearing Reno's suit jacket—huge on her slender frame—but was otherwise nude as a grape.

"Please leave," Yazoo sighed. He touched his temple, feeling a headache coming on. This had to stop. Neither he nor Rufus could afford some stranger stumbling onto his secret. His husband would simply have to limit his "guests" to outside areas, not their home. "Now."

"You know, all the upper-crust ladies in Wutai dress like you?" Yuffie asked, grinning at Yazoo with more teeth than was probably necessary. She looked rather mad and wolfish with such a smile on her face. "You set quite the trend, Mrs. ShinRa."

Yazoo had nothing to say to that. He simply wished Rude would arrive for breakfast and show the little tart out.

"Miss Kisagari," he purred.

"Yuffie," she cut in, hugging herself and waltzing around the room a little, all long legs beneath the black jacket. "You got a nice room."

"Yuffie," Yazoo tried again. "If you wish to steal something, I suggest you wander back to my husband's suite—he keeps a great deal of gil on his person at all times—"

"I was just being nosy," Yuffie absently said, and spun back around to grin at Yazoo again, asking, "You like the play last night?"

"You were rather spiritless," Yazoo said, willing to be insulting to this intrusive and rude young woman. "I would think a Princess of your breeding would show better taste and manners than to prematurely abandon your very first performance."

Yuffie gave Yazoo a queer look, one that was very close to being hurt. She lifted her crossed hands to her own narrow shoulders and frowned a little, softly asking, "You got nice manners, huh?"

"I like to think so," Yazoo sighed, wishing she would just go. "Please, Yuffie, just leave. I need to get on with my day and you're being remarkably intrusive."

"Sorry, Mrs. ShinRa—can I call you Yazoo?"

"I don't believe we are well acquainted enough to warrant _that_," Yazoo said, being firm with her. "I will walk you to the door. Please do not forget where my suite is situated. Should you happen to be back in my home, I will expect you to avoid winding up here again. If there is one thing I have no patience with it is being confronted by the consistently classless young ladies that my husband chooses to sleep with."

"I didn't sleep with your husband, Mrs. ShinRa," Yuffie claimed, scooting towards the door when Yazoo clearly showed no signs of bending. "I don't think I fucked anybody last night…I dunno—I was pretty _drunk_!"

She ended on a trilling laugh, as if she'd made some kind of joke. It tapered off when she realized Yazoo was anything but amused. She actually looked _contrite_.

Yazoo opened the door to his suite, shocked and relieved to find Reno in the process of knocking.

"Huh," he said, looking at Yuffie without really seeing her. "_There's_ my jacket!"

He yanked Yuffie out of Yazoo's room and stripped the jacket off of her shrieking, madly giggling body before turning her out into the hallway in nothing more than her white skin and indignation. "Thanks."

"Oh, honestly," Yazoo sighed, shaking his head when Reno slammed the door on the screaming, snarling girl and locked it. He slipped his jacket on before checking his pockets, giving Yazoo a wide grin that made him roll his eyes.

He turned on his dainty toes and headed for breakfast, Reno slouching along behind him.

"I take it that you're joining me this morning?" Yazoo asked, sitting in his quasi-sunny breakfast nook where his morning paper and mail were already laid out along with his perfectly brewed coffee.

"My only other option is to go back _out there_," Reno pointed out, slumping down across from Yazoo and snagging his coffee cup. "That girl is fucking _nuts_, yo."

Yazoo sighed but said nothing. When Beth came back up the servants' elevator with his breakfast he softly asked for more coffee and another plate.

"Where's the gorilla?" Reno asked.

Yazoo idly perused the news, softly saying, "On his way—and I would prefer if you would call him Rude. He's taking me to meet with Elena a little later today." He flicked his eyes up to Reno, who was busy drinking Yazoo's coffee. "Anything you'd like me to pass along?"

Reno put the cup down, shaking his head and saying, "Nah, I wanna talk to that bitch, I'll call her."

"You're terrible," Yazoo reminded him.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Reno grinned, scratching at a rather florid hickey on his throat. "I'm a bastard born, Cateyes."

"Don't call me that," Yazoo said, but it was an oft-repeated complaint that never went anywhere. He had, for the most part, learned to simply tune Reno out. He had long ago gotten used to the man who was a constant fixture in his home—Reno had been the very first person in this country to show him any kindness on a personal level. It often moved Yazoo to forgive him things which would otherwise offend him.

Beth returned with the requested second plate and a carafe of coffee which Reno snatched away from her. The matronly, scowling woman unwillingly let him win control of it and excused herself to go make up Yazoo's bed.

"Where's Marlene at?" Reno asked, tugging a section of the paper away from Yazoo to peer at it.

"You know you aren't to pester her, Reno," Yazoo said, giving him a severe, stern look. "You embarrass her beyond belief and I will _not_ have you chase off the one person who is such a help to me."

Reno pulled a mocking face at him but dropped it, pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and lighting one despite Yazoo's dark glare.

"You were quite an ass last night," Yazoo said, smirking at him.

Reno grinned and shrugged.

"You don't remember, do you?" Yazoo teased.

"Nah, not really," Reno admitted. "Guess I showed up at the play, though—if the crazy cunt outside is any indicator. Woke up on the floor in Rufus's office with my face in a sweet rack—makes a nice pillow, ya know? Still had my pants on, though, so I behaved."

Yazoo just stared at him, trying not to laugh.

"What?" Reno asked, cocking his head.

"How on earth do you do it?" Yazoo giggled. "You rate your night according to whether you still have your pants on or not?"

"Yeah," Reno said, sounding the tiniest bit defensive. "My least favorite morning-after sentence is 'Where's my pants?'"

"Awful," Yazoo decided, giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, we can't _all_ be angels," Reno reminded him, and tipped his coffee cup to Yazoo in salute of his untarnished honor.

Rude interrupted in that odd way only the utterly silent can manage, coming to stand just inside the brightly lit room and giving Yazoo a nod of acknowledgement.

"Oh, _good_, I was hoping you'd have your keys on you," Yazoo said, relieved that he hadn't had to go brave that mad girl in order to let Rude in. "Did you see Reno's guest outside?"

Rude shifted a little to push his sunglasses back up, and lowly rumbled, "I got her a taxi, Ma'am…And a robe."

"Oh dear," Yazoo said, worry etched on his delicate face. "She'll have had a purse, and her clothes…I suppose I'll _have_ to speak with her now."

"Fuck, Cateyes, no you don't," Reno scoffed, smashing out his cigarette and blowing out a cloud of smoke. "She didn't have fucking _anything_ on her—it's all back at the Golden Lyric, baby—use that pretty head of yours for something besides photos."

Yazoo's brows drew down in consternation. Offended, he said, "Reno, you don't have to be condescending. For all I know, you all went back to the theater and god alone knows where else before you wound up here. It isn't as if I was with you! And that certainly wasn't _her_ jacket she was wearing!"

Reno stared at him for a long moment, long enough that Yazoo was reminded he was, in all actuality, a rather dangerous and unpredictable man, however teasing and relaxed he seemed.

Rude bristled, not liking the sudden spike in tension.

"Sorry, Cateyes," Reno suddenly said, smiling a little to soften his intense look. He stood and leaned across the table to snag Yazoo's hand, giving him his customary kiss on the glimmering stones of his wedding set. "See ya later, Yazoo."

"Bye," Yazoo murmured, still a little offended but willing to let it drop. He counted Reno among the few who were actually his friends, and it bothered him that the man might think him stupid or shallow. It only managed to add to an already upset morning, and he wound up canceling a few engagements, feeling unwell.

Marlene, true to her tender teenaged years, had brought _FLASH_! Magazine in for Yazoo to giggle over, but he didn't have the humor for it that morning, and the young lady fixed his hair in worried silence before going about her other chores, mentioning in passing that Rufus was up and about.

"I'm going to speak with my husband," Yazoo said, dressed for what was left of his day in a smart, knee-length pencil skirt and a blouse that wrapped snugly around his shapely waist. He _had_ set a trend amongst his peers—dressing like a "lady" was en vogue once more, complete with stockings, garters, dainty gloves, hats, veils, pillbox purses, and conservative skirts. Considering that Yazoo came from one of the most decadent families in one of the most decadent countries of the world, the entire continent under ShinRa rule had been fully prepared to be shocked. What had shocked them the most was Yazoo's modest and classy appearance, starting a new trend among women who showed more skin than not and were rather bored of exposing charms that were no longer charming now that the mystery was gone.

"Do you wish me to come with you?" Rude asked, his low and heavily accented voice comforting to Yazoo, who had come to rely on his strength. The man was patiently waiting next to the suite door, willing to spend his entire day in just that spot until Yazoo was ready to leave.

"No, I won't be long," Yazoo said, a little grim. He strode out of his suite, his heels clicking loudly on the marble floor.

Rufus was indeed up and around. Yazoo found him lounging in the bath, clearly hung over. Much to Mrs. ShinRa's relief, he'd already gotten rid of his other _company_ and was quite alone save for his valet, who knew well enough what the clipped, sharp sound of those heels meant—Mrs. ShinRa was _pissed_. Without even a _glance_ at his boss, he hightailed it for safer parts.

Yazoo closed the bathroom door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed and an angry look on his beautiful face.

Rufus wearily lifted the washcloth off of his face and started, water sloshing around him.

"Shit, Yazoo, you scared the hell out of me!" he laughed, leaning his head back and covering his face with the washcloth again. "And to what do I owe this honor?"

"Miss Kisagari was going through my things this morning, Rufus," Yazoo softly told him, feeling a little justified when the man sat up, utterly terrified. "_No_, she didn't see anything. She was going through my jewelry like a common thief, wearing nothing but Reno's jacket and an awful grin."

"Where on earth was Rude—"

"Rufus, he wouldn't have been there at any rate," Yazoo reminded. "He stays out of my personal rooms, you know that."

He waited for the panic to subside before he softly said, "I realize, Rufus, that our relationship is less than ideal for either of us and that for the most part you live the life of a bachelor. It suits you, I understand that, but you cannot continue to flood our home with utter strangers—especially when both you and Reno are too drunk to properly watch them."

Rufus scowled at him, slapping that washcloth down into the water with a splash.

"So what do you propose, Yazoo?" he asked, mocking his slender wife.

"Find another way to conduct your affairs, Rufus," Yazoo coldly told him. "But do not bring them home with you. Reno has rooms and clubs enough all over the city that you needn't practice your vices in our home."

Rufus gave him a mocking smile, clearly not intending to take him seriously.

"Yazoo," he said, smirking at him. "I know you wouldn't know fun if it smacked you on that perfect ass of yours, but I have _no_ intentions of altering my lifestyle to allay your ridiculous fears and jealousy—"

"_Jealousy_?" Yazoo laughed, offended for the second time in one day. "Oh, _that_ is rich, Rufus! You aren't exactly _my_ dream come true, either, you know, you arrogant ass!"

He pushed away from the door and cupped Rufus's jaw, knowing that his touch made his husband nervous and uncomfortable and aiming for just that.

"Rufus, I am not warning you, I am not asking you, I am _telling_ you—stop bringing whores, socialites, and insane princesses into this house," he purred. "One of these days your luck will run out, and nothing Reno can do will keep the truth from being known. This incident with Yuffie is just a prime example. She could just as easily have gone through my closet and found things that clearly have no business being in a well-bred lady's wardrobe…"

Rufus jerked away, disconcerted and on-edge.

"We'll see, Yazoo," he spat, angry and bewildered.

"Yes," Yazoo murmured, straightening and opening the door. He looked back over one perfect shoulder at his husband and hissed, "_We certainly will_."

* * *

The man, who simply went by "Tseng," left the airfield with a smug look on his face. The car he had hired awaited him as instructed, the driver one of those interestingly past-free and dangerous individuals who also happened to be a native of Dai Jiao. Tseng was a particular man, and in this he would not bend—those who served him would be of those people who had so condemned him…

"Take me to this address," he murmured, handing the card to the driver, who gazed at it meditatively before closing the car door. He did not attempt to make conversation, and that suited Tseng.

He looked out of the window at the city swelling up around him, the sunlight swallowed by the heavy smog of industry. It was a filthy place, but strangely compelling. More than once Reno had referred to Midgar as a whore, and Tseng found himself agreeing with this estimation. Still, for now she would be home.

He smirked a little, thinking of the boy, Kadaj, and his nervous, sharp voice. He still spoke his native tongue better than Reno's, but it allowed more of his rigid, stark terror to trickle through. Tseng liked the clipped, short tones of Kadaj's home language, thinking them rather exotic and cold, so well suited to an entire continent of beautiful creatures with such decadent appetites. Kadaj's fear pleased him. He looked forward to seeing the boy in the flesh once more.

The young man himself had made the arrangements for Tseng's impromptu visit, leasing a condo for him in one of Reno's many apartment buildings, arranging for servants and a meeting with Reno himself later that day. It was simply a courtesy.

He was in Midgar on personal business.

He slid an envelope from his briefcase and opened it, withdrawing vividly colored pictures that he absorbed with silent appreciation. The photographs were of Mrs. ShinRa in various stages of her life, in various places, and with various people. Sometimes it was her husband—attentive and smiling…but something there was not correct. Tseng had been with beautiful women, he had seen the husbands of beautiful women and knew that they were suspicious and eager to please for fear of losing their spouse. Rufus ShinRa treated his wife with the same absent attention he would show a younger sister.

Interesting.

Some of the photos showed her at an after-hours gala, head thrown back as she laughed at something a leering and amused Reno was saying, another of her in smiling conversation with a girlfriend, arms linked and drinks in hand. She truly was a stunning creature.

And in every picture taken of her after she'd blossomed into the self-assured and breath-taking woman she'd become, _he_ was standing in the background, watching over her.

"_Rudolf Doležal_," he whispered, looking down into that impassive face, those trademark eyes hidden behind the reflective lenses of his sunglasses. Only once had Tseng ever seen those eyes—one the clear color of amber, warm and honeyed, and the other the odd, blind-blue color more suited to those of Mrs. ShinRa's ethnicity. Only once, but he'd never forgotten, because Rudolf Doležal was an extremely dangerous man with very few acquaintances and Tseng had taken the opportunity as the honor it was.

It wasn't often one was able to look Death in the eyes and walk away.

"Why is she so precious to you?" he wondered, knowing that this man among all men had no interest in money, no love of gain. Whatever had convinced him to watch over the young Mrs. ShinRa would never be anything so trivial or trite as mere financial reward.

Tseng, being a betting man, would wager half his Empire that Rufus had hired the man who answered to "Rude" on the behest of Yazoo's own protective and rather eccentric family.

It made him curious to know what manner of blackmail or connection the Jenovas had to a man who'd crushed empires in his capable fists and had, literally, ripped a dictator into pieces at the foot of his very own "throne". A violent assassin hired to protect a fragile daughter or a guard-dog keeping the lovely young lady penned? Tseng figured it was simply a matter of perspective, or the reality of who exactly had hired him.

Personally, he thought that they could have picked no better person to guard her—safe in the jaws of the beast, he supposed.

It made him smile in wry appreciation of his own humor.

* * *

Elena was practically beside herself with nerves. She stood out on the balcony that she'd silently begun to call _hers_ and had another cigarette. When one of the servants came bustling out to sweep off the ever-raining city debris, Elena snapped at her to go away.

Any moment now, and Yazoo ShinRa would be arriving.

She had to play her cards so carefully, she knew. She had to feign interest, be the lady that Reno's intentions had made her, and trick the gorgeous woman into accepting Elena into her life.

She blew the rest of the smoke out and threw the butt over the edge, turning on her toe and striding sharply back inside. She paused at a mirror to check her appearance and cursed a little to see her own brown eyes looking back at her. Shaken that she'd overlooked something so fundamental, she hurried to her bathroom and put her contacts in.

It soothed her to see those icy blue eyes staring back at her, hiding her true self so fully. She embodied the image of a true Midgarian socialite—blond haired, blue-eyed, slender to the point of worry with bad habits by the pounds and a genteel surface only barely concealing a vicious and self-serving core. Brown eyes simply didn't factor into that equation, not when people wanted the illusion of perfection.

"Ma'am, Mrs. ShinRa is here to see you."

Elena drew a deep breath and smiled at herself in the mirror, pleased with her own cool, haughty beauty. She smoothed the pale sheaf of her straight hair back behind her ear and whispered, "Be nice, _Laney_—she's just a stupid _girl_."

Fixing that false smile in place, she hurried to the door to greet Yazoo with forced delight and an avidly plotting mind.

Mrs. ShinRa, as always, had that air of melancholy about her, which pissed Elena off to no end—what could possibly be so wrong with her life? Married to Rufus ShinRa with an endless purse and a lover like Reno—no, Yazoo had _no_ room to be whining.

"Elena, I'm so glad you're still home," she sighed, smiling that lovely smile. She looked smart and elegant in her knee-length skirt and wrap blouse, a pair of fine white gloves on her small hands, a pillbox purse clutched under one arm. She was wearing a small black hat with a net veil pulled down over her eyes, which she pulled off once she was inside. Even her hair was flawless, pulled up into a twisted knot at the base of her neck with little tendrils curling softly around her diamond-laden ears.

Elena felt positively like a _tart_ in her short skirt, loose blouse unbuttoned to show the top of her bra, and her knee-high boots. She'd felt fashionable and confident mere moments ago, and the unwelcome sense of being in the wrong only made her more angry.

"Please, come in," she said, trying not to clench her teeth. She looked up at that huge, bald man in the doorway and nodded at him in acknowledgment. "I was hoping you'd be able to come by today. Come into the living room, it's so much cozier."

Yazoo gave her a grateful smile and followed, her bald bodyguard moving silently behind them.

"Your home is so lovely," Yazoo said, her soft voice pleasantly low and purring. "You've made some changes since you've moved in—I think the old place has certainly benefited from your taste."

Elena smiled a little, pleased that Yazoo had complimented her. She kind of wanted to just turn around and slap her, to see if she would get angry and mean, would drop that façade of sweet, angelic young woman and show her true colors.

Instead, she said, "Thank you," as she glanced back at Yazoo, who was looking around with open appreciation on her pale face. Elena hadn't noticed before, but Mrs. ShinRa was rather tall, especially in those heels—she must stand level with Rufus. It made her smirk, knowing that Rufus probably didn't like _that_ too well. Of course, he _had_ admitted that he didn't care who fucked his wife so long as _he_ didn't have to, so maybe he couldn't care less if his wife was so tall…and maybe her perfect life wasn't so perfect after all.

But she still had _Reno_.

Elena's smile twisted into a snarl that Mrs. ShinRa didn't notice.

But her bodyguard did.


	5. Episode 5

After Yazoo stormed out of his bath Rufus tried to resume relaxing but it was no use. He knew that his "wife" was right—they simply couldn't risk someone stumbling upon Yazoo's secret, and asking him to stay locked up in his room was something that even Rufus couldn't countenance.

He heard the door creak and his valet, Denzel, came poking his nose in to see if the coast was clear.

"Coward," Rufus called him.

The boy gave him a cheeky grin and said, "I know better than to get in her way when she's pissed, Mister ShinRa, sir!"

"Yes, you certainly do have a remarkable sense of self-preservation," Rufus murmured, giving up entirely and stepping out of the tub.

The young man was quick to grab his robe and throw it over his wet shoulders. Rufus left him to drain the bath and clean up the spilled water, preferring instead to go warm up next to the roaring fireplace in the rather large room that was his dressing area. Denzel always started the gas fire early so that the room was nice and toasty after Rufus's bath.

He plopped down in a plush chair, willing his headache to subside, and tried to remember what he'd done last night. He'd had fun, that much he knew, but a few clubs after they'd left the Golden Lyric and his night got a _little_ hazy. In the long run he knew it didn't matter. His marriage to Yazoo was anything but traditional, so any disgusting bugs he might pick up from his various conquests didn't really affect anyone but himself…or so he liked to think. He also knew that his notorious deeds—though well recorded by the media—were always forgiven him. It was that wonderful social double-standard in which cheating men were praised and cheating wives were vilified. Rufus didn't care so much provided things always worked in his favor, and while he never dreamed of _not_ cheating on Yazoo, he would never stand for his "wife" having a lover. Even if Yazoo found someone who could overlook the fact that he wasn't a woman, Rufus still wouldn't have it. Rufus ShinRa simply did _not_ share.

"Is that insufferable nuisance gone?" Rufus inquired, hearing Denzel come puttering in to turn the heat down.

"Yes, Sir—Mrs. ShinRa's bodyguard showed her the door," Denzel said, opening the window to let some cool air in before he opened the doors to Rufus's wardrobe. "He gives me the creeps."

Rufus laughed a little at this, standing and shedding his robe, sufficiently dry now to bother with dressing.

"Yes, well, he said he came recommended from Mrs. ShinRa's family," he said, willing to gossip with the boy—ShinRa Senior had damned-near raised Denzel, albeit in the position of a servant.

"Must've had an impressive resume, for you to hire him, Sir," Denzel said, ready to help in any way possible.

Rufus yawned and started dressing, idly saying, "I wouldn't know, he just showed up one day saying the Jenovas had sent him. Like I'd argue with that crazy fucking family."

Denzel laughed a little, but in a vaguely worried voice he asked, "Are you _sure _they sent him, Sir?"

Rufus paused. He hadn't really thought about it—Rude had come to ShinRa Technologies Headquarters and had simply informed Rufus that he'd been sent by Premier Jenova to guard his daughter. Rufus hadn't questioned him. He hadn't questioned how Rude had gotten an appointment, if he even _had_ one, or if he'd just wandered in and told his secretary to let him in. He'd never _had_ to think about those things, because Rude had guarded Yazoo for _years_ now. He'd done an excellent job of keeping Yazoo safe and chaste and Rufus found no reason to dissect it. If Rude had meant Yazoo harm then it surely would've been done by now, and Rufus knew he could never get that lucky anyway.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Rufus said, dismissing the boy's concerns. "Help me finish up here, lazybones."

He decided to blow work off in favor of golf. He used a company jet to head to his favorite privately-owned course on a nearby island, hoping that the secluded locale would grant him some privacy. His own muscle accompanied him, of course, and he couldn't help but look at them and wonder if maybe he _should_ do some kind of check on that huge, scary man Rude.

Then again, if he broke Yazoo's neck and ditched the body somewhere, Rufus wouldn't complain. At least then he wouldn't have to try to find an alternate location for his trysts…

* * *

Kadaj snarled at one of the housekeepers when she got too close in her cleaning. He felt bad about it but he wasn't about to apologize—he was on edge and nervous about seeing the man from Dai Jiao again. He'd tried to convey this to Reno, but no amount of comfort with the man's language would enable him to properly make his point.

"Reno, I don't think it's a good idea for me to accompany him," he said again, this time resorting to slapping the next person who got too close. He shooed them out of Reno's room, snapping, "You aren't to be in here, anyway! Just because he's home is no excuse! Out!"

"Bitchy," Reno commented, changing after his shower and generally ignoring the whole drama. He didn't mind his room having a revolving door, for Reno the more the merrier. Kadaj, however, claimed any personal room of Reno's as his exclusive domain and made no bones about it. "Cateyes, just show him around a bit, nothing big. I ain't asking you to fuck him, for gods' sake."

Kadaj locked the door for good measure and leaned on it, frowning.

Reno had sent him home last night when Yuffie had tried to grope him. Kadaj had protested, knowing he was the only sober one, but Reno insisted—even drunk as he'd been he'd managed to get his temper up over having his Cateyes handled. Kadaj had been forced to call in two of Reno's bouncers to cover for his security. He'd subsequently spent the night alone in Reno's bed, knowing that his lover was spending the night in someone else's.

When Reno started to do up his cuffs, Kadaj moved forward and straightened his collar for him.

"He looks at me," he said.

Reno lifted a brow and caught his eye in the mirror, smirking. "Well, you're really fucking gorgeous, Cateyes, what d'you expect?"

"Like he owns me," Kadaj said, hugging him from behind. He pressed his forehead between Reno's shoulder-blades and sighed, "You won't…give me to him, will you?"

"Well, first off, yo, you don't belong to nobody, so I _can't _give you to anyone," Reno told him, fastening his watch on and pushing a pair of sunglasses onto his head to keep his wild red hair back. "Second, I been leaving you by yourself too much if you think I'd give you away."

Kadaj smiled against his back and let go when Reno turned around to hug him.

"How many times I gotta tell you, Cateyes—he's harmless," Reno insisted, giving him a squeeze before lighting a cigarette over the top of his head. "Show him around, take him a few places, bring him to our meeting tonight and then you come straight home with me, okay?"

"Okay," Kadaj said, burrowing into the bare skin of his chest. He always liked when Reno dressed to go roaming the city, liked the way he left his shirt mostly undone and wore his sprung sneakers with his worn, frayed-at-the-hem jeans that fit him perfectly.

"Alright, let go, I got some stuff to take care of," Reno told him, kissing the top of his head and letting go of him with a final squeeze. "I'll see you later tonight at Siderunners."

Kadaj called after him, softly saying, "I love you, Reno."

The man gave him a wink and said, "I know, baby."

Kadaj always tried to tell himself that it meant the same thing, but even as young as he was he knew better.

* * *

Elena tried really hard not let it show that she absolutely could not _stand_ Yazoo ShinRa. It wasn't the woman herself—she was surprisingly kind and eager to make friends, completely unmindful of her own beauty and rather prone to downplay it with her sophisticated but almost _matronly_ wardrobe. She didn't have a bad thing to say about anyone, no, so it wasn't the woman Elena disliked.

It was what Yazoo _was_, what she _had_—which was everything that should belong to Elena.

They sat in the living-room at opposite ends of one of the couches, sipping tea like proper ladies. Elena hadn't had tea with anyone since she'd returned to the country, but her manners weren't rusty. She was proud to see she matched up.

Finally, after endless small talk that Yazoo seemed to delight in, Elena worked herself up to start really pulling the woman into her plan. Summoning up tears, she wiped at them surreptitiously until Yazoo gently asked, "Elena, are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Elena said, laughing a little, putting a little waver into her voice. She wiped the tears on her napkin and smiled, saying, "Honestly, it's nothing. I just…I just…"

Yazoo turned to her bodyguard and murmured, "Could you wait outside, please, Rude? We need some privacy, I think."

Elena hid her smirk behind her napkin and then dabbed prettily at her eyes, irritated to see that her mascara was running.

"Now, Elena, I know that we haven't always been friends," Yazoo softly said, giving her an earnest look from those freakish green eyes. Frankly, Elena found the whole race of them disgusting—a bunch of depraved barbarians more cat than person who all worshipped The Mother and danced naked under the full moon. "I blame myself for that, for never taking the time to get to know you. Please, could you trust me with what is bothering you?"

"I'm just…so _unhappy_," Elena sobbed, burying her face in her napkin, hunching her shoulders to look vulnerable and fragile. A moment later she felt Yazoo's ring-laden hand grasp her shoulder and give a comforting squeeze. "You don't know what it's like! He paws me and he _uses_ me and…and…_I just can't take it anymore_!"

She risked a glance up but didn't see what she expected. Instead of sympathetic understanding, Yazoo was looking to one side with an oddly uncomfortable look on her face.

"Elena," she lowly said, looking back at her with sad, unhappy eyes. "I am sorry for your situation…I am sure if he knew how unhappy you are, he would let you go. He loves you so much, he considers himself the luckiest man in the world to have you—if he knew you felt this way, it would break his heart. I'm sure he never intended for you to feel trapped, he's only ever wanted you to have a wonderful life…"

Elena's brain spun into frantic overdrive. She hadn't counted on the fact that Yazoo—forgiving Yazoo, loving and gentle daughter-in-law to ShinRa Senior—might actually _love_ her father-in-law. Elena had never dreamed that the old man's affection was gladly returned by his beautiful daughter-in-law.

"You should speak to him," Yazoo said, looking on the verge of tears herself. "It will kill him to lose you, but he would never want you to be unhappy."

Elena stifled a sob, this time a real one of frustration.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, trying to salvage the situation. "I'm just so selfish! It's so difficult for me—I love him, I _do_! He's the dearest thing to me…it's just the age difference…"

Yazoo's gaze softened and she gently stroked back a wayward strand of Elena's hair.

"It's alright, no relationship is perfect," she sighed, and looked so very, very sad. "He loves you, you should be very happy about that—not everyone gets to be loved, Elena."

Elena nodded a little, wiping her nose and faking a tremulous smile through her tears.

"I just could really use a friend," she said, dabbing at her eyes. "It's so lonely here when he's gone…"

"I understand," Yazoo said, clearly pleased to be able to help. "I know it's rather presumptuous of me to ask, Elena—but would you care to join me tomorrow? I have to attend the Spring Ball planning meeting tomorrow morning, and then afterward I have to join Rufus for the unveiling of the new science division at Headquarters—"

"Oh! I'll be there, too!" Elena said, forcing a bubbly cheerfulness into her voice.

Yazoo smiled widely at her and said, "Perfect! You can come with me from there! I have my weekly book club meeting to attend—I think you'll quite like the other ladies—and then I'd planned to do some shopping. I would be delighted if you would join me."

Elena smiled, pleased that her plan was back on track. In her softest, most pitiful voice, she warbled, "I'd really like that, Yazoo."

"And here I'd always thought you didn't like me," Yazoo teased, and patted Elena's cheek. "Here, now—have a fresh napkin and some tea, it cures all ills."

Trying very hard not to gloat, Elena did just that.

* * *

Rufus returned to general mayhem at his home, so much so that his car couldn't get through the gate thanks to the blockage of vehicles.

"What in the goddamned hell?" he snarled, trying to see what was happening out his window. He saw the distinctive suits of his personal security busily trying to contain the situation at his gate, but they were in no way succeeding in shooing off whoever was currently blocking his drive.

"Stay here, Sir, we'll go straighten it out," one bodyguard said—Igor or Ivan or something like that. Rufus didn't care to remember such things.

Denzel leaned around him, his large eyes even bigger with avid curiosity.

"Go have a look," Rufus urged him.

Denzel gave him a shocked look and asked, "What if it's dangerous, Sir?"

"Oh, come on," Rufus snorted, laughing. "No one is dead yet—seriously, you aren't a ShinRa, you're just a kid, so go have a look."

"You can be a real dickhead, Sir," Denzel reminded him.

"Yeah, get going," Rufus told him, looking back out at the ruckus and wondering if he should call for SOLDIER backup.

He saw a tall, auburn-haired man gesturing grandly and surrounded by the most motley-looking entourage Rufus had seen to date. Even from this far away the man's light blue eyes were arrestingly charismatic, and when they landed on the limo they suddenly narrowed.

Rufus frantically gestured his other bodyguard to get out and intercept when the man headed their way, which he did. The blue-eyed man, however, stalked majestically to the car with every single pierced, painted, and oddly-dressed person in tow.

"_Mister_ ShinRa! I demand the return of my premier star!" the man announced, punctuating this with a dramatic gesture, one hand on his narrow hip.

"Oh, fuck, he wants that crazy Princess," Rufus hissed. He'd known that it would come back to bite him in the ass, but he'd figured it would be more in the shape of Yuffie's irate father, not some strange man who moved and spoke as if an audience was watching him—of course, with all of this drama at the ShinRa place, there probably _was_ an audience watching.

"Sir, we've told you, she left earlier in a cab," one of the guards explained. "Mr. Rhapsodos, Sir, just take your people and go, wherever she is, she isn't _here_."

"Oh, fuck off, will you?" the man suggested, and leaned down to rap on the window, peering at it as if he could see through the tinting if he just tried hard enough. "Mister ShinRa, I know you're in there!"

"Good job, genius," Rufus breathed, put off by this bizarre meeting and vastly uncomfortable. Yet another good reason why he shouldn't bring people home with him.

"You roll this glass down this second or I swear to the Mother Goddess that I will stand out here and shriek my fool head off until every neighbor you have thinks you are a deviant alcoholic and a closet homosexual to boot!"

"Oh shit," Rufus whispered. The world at large didn't give three shits about sexual preference anymore, but _he_ did—he had a bone-deep and irrational hatred for others implying that he might be bisexual. It was a personal hang-up not helped at all by the fact that he was married to a _man_ of all things.

"Believe me, sweetheart, if anyone can do it, _Genesis Rhapsodos can_!" the man shouted, and tipped his head back in the most flagrant display of flamboyance that Rufus had ever seen.

His entourage broke into applause while Rufus's guards looked on, bewildered. Technically, they weren't on private property and Mister Rhapsodos wasn't doing anything illegal so they couldn't really hurt him.

Quailing before this superior use of odd coercion, Rufus unwillingly rolled down the window.

"Well," Genesis said, satisfaction in his brightly glowing blue eyes. "Tell me where my White Rose has gone."

Rufus swallowed hard, looked around at the various delinquents standing outside of his limo, and meekly offered, "Wutai?"

Genesis gave him a grin and leaned towards him, purring, "I don't think so, dearest. You tell me where she's gone or I make good my threat."

Rufus gave him a nervous smile and said, "Honestly, Mister Rhapsodos—"

"Darling, _please_, call me Genesis," the man said, waving his hand around and wrinkling his nose. "_Mister_ Rhapsodos is my father, and may he rot amongst his apples like the putrid corpse he is."

Rufus didn't know whether to laugh or be frightened, honestly. "Inventive," he commented, and put on his best winning smile when the man's blue eyes landed on him again. "Listen, Genesis—your little Princess got tossed out of my house by security when she was found rifling through my wife's jewelry. She's lucky my wife is an understanding woman or else your little White Pain in the Ass Rose would be in jail right now instead of wandering around scott-free. Are we on the same page?"

"Page, my dear, is merely an _ideal_," Genesis informed him, appearing to mull this over. "Yet she does have a colorful past, my little Rose…I trust, Sir, that you have been honest with me?"

"I have no reason to lie," Rufus told him, smiling again. "And you let that little klepto know that if she ever tries to steal from Rufus ShinRa again, her father won't even have a strand of hair to cry over."

"You wouldn't _dare_!" Genesis gasped, but it seemed more on principal, or perhaps for his crowd, because he seemed a little bored and not necessarily doubtful of Rufus's words.

"Mister, I own this fucking town," Rufus reminded him, grinning. "There isn't anything I wouldn't dare. Last I heard, your Princess was tossed into a taxi by my wife's bodyguard. Good luck, and get out of my driveway."

Denzel and the guards slipped back into the limo while Genesis pondered this, a frown on his handsome face. Before Rufus rolled the window back up, he asked, "Mister ShinRa, what did you think of my play?"

"I don't know," Rufus said, and chuckled a little. "I left when the star did."


	6. Episode 6

Kadaj tried not to show that he was nervous, but he knew his panic must be pouring off of him in waves—he was crammed as far into the corner of the limo as he could get, but somehow he was still touching Tseng.

The man himself sat easily in the middle of the seat with the relaxed posture of one who owns the world around him. He seemed to take no notice of Kadaj's nerves, but his cold brown eyes would occasionally rest on him with that same possessive surety. He never reached out to touch him, no, but the occasional bump and shudder of the car would bounce Kadaj's light body against him, only adding to the boy's fear.

He did not want this man to touch him.

"You don't remember me," Tseng suddenly murmured, cutting those glittering dark eyes to Kadaj.

"No, sir," Kadaj told him, uneasy. This was not the first time Tseng had said they'd met before, but Kadaj had no memory of it.

Tseng sighed, but let his eyes linger on Kadaj's mouth, saying, "I paid for you, my Jewel—I paid very well to have you…Only to find that what I was offered was a child. How tiny and fragile you were, beautiful boy, crying and afraid. If I'd had access to my fortune I would've bought you that very moment."

Kadaj felt his breathing start to stutter, his heart skipping wildly in his chest. He had virtually no memory of the dark days before Reno had found him, and his older lover simply assured him that it was trauma. Now, however, with Tseng's dark, dancing eyes on him and his soft, smooth voice soothing him, he had a glimmer of memory—the foreign face looking down at him, as memorable for beauty as for the unusual dot in his forehead, delicate hands cupping his face and that voice softly sighing, '_Too young, yet. Too young…_'

"Too young," he murmured, and looked out of the window, suddenly more afraid for himself than he'd ever been.

"Too young," Tseng softly agreed. "I would have bought you and taken you away from the horror that awaited you, Kadaj. I would have waited for you to grow up. I would have treated you as the prince you are."

"None of that happened," Kadaj told him, rubbing his head as another memory came—a man smiling down at him, cyan eyes alight with joy as he hefted him up so that Kadaj could tangle chubby little fists in his long silver hair… "I made it out alive only thanks to Reno."

Tseng let the silence build for awhile as the city rolled by, the car moving at a crawl due to the traffic and the press of humanity. A long time later, he softly inquired, "Do you never wonder, Kadaj, who your parents were?"

"There's no sense in it," he quickly answered, giving Tseng Reno's own reply to his question. "They left me, didn't they? They probably sold me to those people themselves. I don't owe them the time it takes to think of them."

Tseng laughed a little and said, "Should you ever want to know, Kadaj, my Jewel, just remember that I would be happy to tell you."

"_Tell_ me?" Kadaj sharply questioned, glancing at him. "Not find out for me, but _tell_ me?"

Tseng gave him a sphinx-like smile and sighed, "I have long thought of you, my Jewel—I know where you came from and how you were taken away."

"You lie, Reno said that no one could know!" Kadaj hissed, suddenly more angry than afraid.

Tseng's winged brows rose and he gave Kadaj a smirk, asking, "Is it not possible, Kadaj, that he simply did not wish to lose you?"

Kadaj snorted a little in disdain, but the seed was planted. They passed the trip to Siderunner's in silence, Tseng gazing out of the window and Kadaj nervously chewing his lip.

* * *

"You would not _believe_ what happened today," Rufus said, bemoaning his existence. He hadn't expected Yazoo to come home so early, but he was glad to have someone to complain to, and had called his wife into his suite when he saw Yazoo passing on the landing.

"What?" Yazoo asked, giving him a concerned look. "Rufus, you have a sunburn. Why won't you wear a hat when you golf—"

"Oh _screw_ the sunburn, Yazoo—there was a _crazy_ person outside of the house today!" Rufus said, gesturing with his hand and managing to slosh the drink he was holding all over his skin.

"A crazy person?" Yazoo echoed, sitting down in a plush chair in the entryway. "_Oh_, she didn't come back, did she?"

"No, not _that_ one," Rufus corrected, and laughed a little. "Who'd have thought we'd have multiple nutters near our house! No, I couldn't place him earlier, but I was flipping through some reviews today and remembered how I knew his name—it was Genesis Rhapsodos—"

"The _director_?" Yazoo gasped, stealing Rufus's thunder a little so that he pouted. "Oh, dear, I suppose he was after Miss Kisagari?"

"You got it, babe!" Rufus said, flopping down in the other chair with a grunt.

"You really need to lay off the drinking," Yazoo absently told him, and sighed, "I wish I would've been here, I'm such a fan of his work—the play was awe-inspiring, Yuffie's bad-acting notwithstanding. I've been hoping to get an invite for my film club ladies to visit the set of his new production, but it's gotten hung up in red-tape and—"

"Oh, for god's sake, Yazoo, he's _insane_!" Rufus announced, and laughed. "I told him his play sucked and to get the hell away from my house."

"You _didn't_!" Yazoo gasped, appalled. "Rufus, how _could_ you be so rude?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"I cannot believe you," Yazoo said, upset with him. "You spend so much time in your own little world that you completely discount the people who live and work in the _real _one! Genesis Rhaspodos is one of the leading directors and film critics in this country, able to make or break a person with a single comment to the press, and you _insulted_ him?!"

"What?" Rufus inquired. "I was just supposed to let him prance his fancy ass in here and mince around?"

Yazoo scowled at him and snapped, "Just because he sleeps with men doesn't make him worthy of your scorn, Rufus. The fact of the matter is, you should've known who he was without being told but you _didn't_ because you spend all of your time in ShinRa-land playing golf and getting inebriated with Reno."

"Why are you being such a bitch? I thought you'd be all excited that he came by the house," Rufus complained, draining his glass.

Yazoo stood up, hands on his round hips, and said, "You thought I would be excited that you offered insult to one of the most genius creative forces of our time? Yes, Rufus, I'm _ecstatic_ that I will probably be black-listed from any guest lists he approves thanks to your juvenile behavior! And to think, he never would've come here if you hadn't brought the party _home_!"

"Oh, let's don't talk about _that_ again—"

"This just makes me more determined!" Yazoo said, furious. "If you will not live like a respectable member of society and at least _pretend_ to be a grown up then I swear to you that I will go home to my parents—"

"You wouldn't dare!" Rufus cried, shocked. Without Yazoo he lost the backing of the Jenova family, which largely funded his lavish lifestyle. Without Yazoo, Rufus lost his job, his status, all of it.

"Don't tempt me!" Yazoo said, eyes sparkling with passion. "I have been a good wife to you for many, many long, lonely years and I have _never_ shown you the disrespect that you show me on a daily basis! Do you even _care_ what I've given up to be here with you? I have no friends, I have no family, no lovers, no comfort, I have _nothing_, Rufus! _Nothing_! I would rather go back to my father's house and be the least of the servants there than spend another nine years in limbo!"

Rufus just stared at him, dimly realizing that Yazoo had started to cry.

"Yazoo, don't be ridiculous! I lavish you with jewels, I let you run all over the damned city doing whatever the hell you want, I foot the bill for everything you desire—what great lack is there in your life th—"

"_Who do I talk to when I'm afraid, Rufus_?" Yazoo demanded, clenching his hands into fists and jamming them beneath his chin in a remarkably child-like gesture of helplessness. "I came here when I was just a _child_! You _left_ me here, Rufus! You dropped me off out front and drove away and I didn't see you again for a _month_! _Reno_ showed me around and introduced me to the staff and settled me in! So while you play with all of your little girlfriends, Rufus, _who do I have_? I have _no one_, I have _nothing_—so don't ask me what I _lack_ in this house!"

Rufus smirked at him a little and asked, "So that's it, Yazoo? If you're going to be chaste, then _I_ have to be as well? Well, you go ahead and threaten me, kitten—let's see how far you get! You're too afraid of your own shadow to leave here."

Yazoo shuddered a little and hiccupped on a sob.

"Go ahead, Yazoo, do your worst," Rufus tempted, refilling his drink. "Leave, and good riddance to you, because I will _not_ change my lifestyle to accommodate you. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," Yazoo breathed, and fled the room, the click of his heels echoing loudly in the hallway.

* * *

"Welcome back to Midgar," Reno said, grinning at his long-time accomplice.

Tseng gave him a cool smile in return, his delicate hands on his drink. Kadaj was seated next to him, a mutinous expression on his beautiful face, lower lip poked out in a pout that Reno knew would come back on him a little later.

He slid into the booth opposite them and lit a cigarette, seeing one of the waitresses on her way with his usual. Siderunner's was one of his more luxurious hotels with a self-named restaurant run by a five-star staff—it didn't hurt that the club attached was a hands-on full-nude strip joint, either. His high-class asshole clientele called this a two-for club, and Reno didn't mind it one bit provided that they spent their gil on his booze, his food, or his beauties.

"So, what brings you back to this bitch?" he asked, tapping his cigarette and accepting his drink with a wink and a grin.

"Curiosity," Tseng smoothly answered, his eyes inscrutable as always. He was one of the few people whom Reno could not easily read. "I wonder, Reno, do you ever interact with the man who guards Mrs. ShinRa?"

"Weird question," Reno laughed, and saw Kadaj tighten down even harder across from him. Something sure had tweaked him out. "Not much, no. I tend to avoid the gorilla, and Yazoo doesn't keep him around the house unless she's going out. Why?"

Tseng turned his cup in his hands, his dark eyes still on Reno.

"He didn't know him, did he?"

Reno lifted an eyebrow.

"Your friend, Mister ShinRa," Tseng murmured. "He didn't know who that man was when he hired him, and he didn't bother to find out, did he?"

"Fuck, I don't know," Reno said, and shrugged, laughing a little. "I should hope so, Yazoo's precious—Rufus wants to keep her safe."

Tseng blinked. "Does he?"

"What's that supposed to mean, yo?" Reno questioned.

Tseng smiled a little. It was cold and would've scared Reno if he hadn't been so terrifying himself. He and Tseng were equals when it came to viciousness and cunning.

"You've grown too comfortable, Reno," Tseng softly informed him. "You used to be so cautious about those you spent your time with, if they were a threat or not."

"You saying this guy is a danger to me?"

Again, Tseng smiled, and said, "I am saying that he is a very dangerous man, but not specifically to you, no."

"Well, if he was going to hurt Yazoo, then I think he would've done it by now," Reno snorted, and took a swallow of his drink. "This guy is what brought you here? He's nobody to worry about, Tseng. He's been with her since she was seventeen years old, pal—that's a long time to not do something."

Tseng idly ran his fingertip around the rim of his glass, probably to see if he could make it sing. Reno liked quality in his establishments, but he didn't front cash for the kind of glassware Tseng preferred.

"I should like to meet her."

Reno cocked his head, calculating. "You wanna meet Yazoo, huh? Yeah, she's a knock-out, isn't she?"

Tseng's eyes flicked to the cup and back up to Reno's own before he smiled again.

"A real knock-out," he agreed. After a moment he added, "I just wanted to give you the courtesy of letting you know I was in your beloved city."

"Much appreciated," Reno said, and tipped his glass to him. "Don't worry about it, Tseng, we're partners. You probably got a lot to see tonight, huh? I gotta swing by and pick up Rufus—there's a birthday party we're gonna attend."

Kadaj was giving him pleading, panicked eyes from across the table, his anxiety thick enough to taste.

"Well, may I borrow your Jewel, then?" Tseng asked, his voice cool. "Simply to accompany me tonight, of course."

"Sure, why not?" Reno allowed, ignoring Kadaj's glares. "He's an ace bodyguard, that one. Not so much with the hands-on, yo."

"I don't blame you," Tseng said, and again he smiled that slight, cold smile. "I would not share him, either."

"Yeah, well, you kids have fun," Reno said, stubbing out his cigarette and standing. "Don't do nothing I wouldn't do."

Kadaj just stared at him like he'd never seen him before.

Tseng smirked and said, "We won't, I'm sure…"

He looked at Kadaj.

Reno left with his bodyguards at his heels, pushing Kadaj's fear out of his mind.

* * *

Rufus was drunk and still in a foul mood when Reno arrived to pick him up. They never got in a hurry for anything, and this was a birthday party for some adult-film actress so it was sure to be a winner much later in the night than earlier.

The man languidly dropped onto the couch in Rufus's suite and draped there, waiting.

"Hey, yo, I was wondering—you ever run a background check on the gorilla?"

Rufus gave him an exasperated glance and moved to the mirror, saying, "Premier Jenova sent him, Reno—I don't think even _that_ crazy man would have his own child assassinated, especially in such a slow, tedious way. Why do you ask?"

"Why do you care?" Reno countered, grinning and watching Rufus loop his tie.

"I guess I'm going to have to check on him," Rufus conceded. "You're the second person to bring this up and now I'm curious myself. Seriously, what brought this on?"

"Tseng asked me," Reno said, sounding bored. The name meant nothing to Rufus, but the conversation drew him back to Yazoo and his antics once more.

"Such a _bitch_!" Rufus sighed for the millionth time, fighting with his tie and finally just jerking it off of his neck, frustrated.

"Who?" Reno asked, absently watching him.

Rufus smoothed his hair, looking at his own reflection, and said, "_Yazoo_. You know, he _threatened_ me today? Can you believe that?! The _nerve_!"

"Yeah, how dare the one with all the money threaten the freeloading, cheating husband," Reno laughed. "Ballsy little bitch!"

Rufus scowled at him in the mirror and said, "_Not helping_! No, he told me I either relocated my _activities_ or else he was going back to his father's house. Then he tried to lay a guilt-trip on me about how he doesn't have anybody and is always alone and how _you_ took care of him when he first came here! Was I really gone a whole month?"

"After your wedding?" Reno questioned, and then nodded. "Yeah, you were. And he's right, yo, I took care of him. But I knew somebody had to 'cause if it was left to you, you'd fuck it up."

"Wow, thanks," Rufus snorted, and moved back to the bar for another drink, pouring one for his friend as well. "He thinks he has the moral high-ground because he's never fucked around on me so that gives him some kind of right to dictate how I live my personal life."

"No, I think being your wife gives him some kind of right to dictate how you live your personal life," Reno remarked, getting up to fetch his drink and sit next to Rufus at the bar. "What's the big deal? You gotta fuck people outside of the house or something? It was that crazy Princess, wasn't it?"

"Well, myriad things," Rufus admitted. "The Princess didn't help, going through Yazoo's things like she was."

Reno whistled lowly and said, "Yeah, I didn't realize when I went in there that she'd been pawing through Yazoo's shit. That could've been bad."

"Well, it doesn't help that I insulted some director that Yazoo was hoping to make nice with," Rufus sighed. "He came here searching for Yuffie and I threw him off the property."

"Wait, _what_?" Reno asked, laughing. "You don't mean Genesis Rhapsodos, do you?"

"How the fuck does everybody know this man but me?"

"You _do_ know him, asshole!" Reno crowed, laughing. "You were at a gallery opening and had a whole conversation with him on the concept of new-age art! Oh, shit, man, that's fucking funny! You don't _remember_?"

He tapered off with a laugh and sighed, "Yeah, well, I guess you were pretty drunk…So was he, if that's any consolation—that man doesn't leave his house without being lit up like a Christmas tree. I can't believe you threw him off the property! No wonder Cateyes is pissed!"

"Don't call Yazoo that," Rufus corrected, frowning. "The grand result is: either I take my affairs elsewhere, or Yazoo leaves."

"Well, that's pretty good incentive to keep it outside of the house," Reno remarked, sipping his drink.

Rufus sighed heavily and said, "I guess. I can't let Yazoo get away before I get the deeds to all of that stuff in Wutai."

"Man, why are you so obsessed with that shit?" Reno inquired. "He's told you time after time that there's _nothing there_!"

"Which is precisely why there is _something_ there!" Rufus told him, suddenly excited. "I bet better than half of the Jenova fortune comes from Wutai, the way they pretend there's nothing going on!"

"Well, whatever, Rufus, but you ain't gonna get that shit by being an ass to your wife," Reno reminded him. "What's the problem, anyway, yo? Would it kill you to be nice to him? I mean, I know you don't do guys, but Yazoo…ain't really a _guy_, Rufus. He doesn't even think like a guy, doesn't move like one or talk like one or _anything_."

"Except the downstairs department," Rufus pointed out. "He was born a boy, he _is_ a boy, and I don't do _boys_. I wish now that I hadn't made sure he wouldn't have any lovers—maybe if he were involved in his own affairs, he wouldn't mess with mine. Or at least he wouldn't have his moral standing to rely on and look down at me from. Maybe if he were more on _my_ level, he'd change his tune."

"Yeah, maybe," Reno said, and laughed, "Then again, you catch him cheating, you can always blackmail his family for the shit in Wutai."

It was a joke, clearly, but Rufus gave his friend a thoughtful look.

"Reno."

"Hm?"

Rufus smiled at him, a look of utter devious calculation spreading across his face.

"I have a favor to ask you…"


	7. Episode 7

Kadaj was nearly in tears when he got back into the car with Tseng. He'd never felt so frustrated, and he couldn't believe that Reno—who had promised to go home with him, to keep him safe—had just tossed him at Tseng as if he didn't matter.

"It is something to think about," Tseng told him, only the glint of streetlights on his eyes visible in the darkness of the car.

"What?" Kadaj asked, pressed against the door and trying not to look at him.

"The way he treats you," Tseng said, and shifted a little behind him. "I see that my friend has grown lax in this city where he feels safe. I see that he has no sense of the dangers surrounding him."

"I will keep him safe," Kadaj swore, blinking back tears. Reno had saved him from a life of miserable servitude, a life of prostitution in the most debasing of ways with none of the voluntary perks of Reno's service. "It's the least I can do…"

"Does he keep _you_ safe, Kadaj?" Tseng asked him, and softly brushed the tips of his fingers along the wispy ends of the boy's hair. "He treats you as a valueless servant."

"I _am_ a servant," Kadaj said, proud of it. He loved Reno, and for that he would gladly serve him, as thanks for being saved from himself. "I owe him so much."

"You owe him for leaving you blind in the dark," Tseng said, and those fingertips trailed down the curve of Kadaj's slender back. "For his selfishness he has kept you ignorant of your status, a servant when you should be a prince, a whore when you should be exalted. He doesn't even have the sense to appreciate you for what you are, no—he flings you away as if you are replaceable."

Kadaj lowered his head a little, determined not to be upset. This frightening, dangerous man with his low, soft voice was affecting him strangely and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Tseng terrified him, but there was a thrill to knowing that such a man not only _wanted_ him, but wanted him _badly_.

He swallowed hard and lifted his head, too proud to be bought so easily.

"Reno loves me," he declared. "He is busy with his business—"

"_You_ run his business."

"—he has other obligations, but he loves me," Kadaj insisted, ignoring the waver in his voice. "He loves me."

Tseng was quiet for a long time, his fingertips lightly moving over Kadaj's spine, as if the boy were a prized instrument too fine for mortal hands to play.

"Does he?" he finally asked. "Has he ever told you such, my Jewel? Can you really tell yourself that he loves you when he spends more time in the beds of strangers than in his own with you? Perhaps he loves you…and perhaps he is simply reliant upon you to run his business. Perhaps we will never know if you leave things as they lay."

Kadaj's soft mouth tightened and he asked, "What would you suggest, sir?"

Tseng mulled it over, now lightly stroking Kadaj's hair.

"I would suggest you make your way in the world without him," he softly said. "I would suggest that you throw in your lot with those who would see you in your rightful place, my Jewel. In the end, it is your decision, and it is not to be made lightly…in the meantime, perhaps comfort alone will suffice?"

Kadaj turned his head to look at him, his face illuminated in flashes of streetlights.

He couldn't remember the last time that Reno had touched him, and the man acted as if he truly didn't care what happened to him—he had, after all, thrown Kadaj into the lion pit without so much as a flinch.

"Perhaps," he quietly agreed, and his heart raced with an excitement that was somehow a part of that terrible and aching fear.

* * *

Yazoo quietly walked through his husband's suites once the two men had gone, just looking at the things around him. It made him sad that after almost nine years of marriage, he knew so little about Rufus—but he hadn't exactly been encouraged to get to know his husband. When he'd been younger, when he'd still had hope that things would be okay, his attempts to befriend Rufus had been met with open scorn and derision that had settled into this faint distaste and borderline hatred that the man now felt for him. As if he'd _asked_ to be brought to a strange country barely able to speak even the most basic of phrases in their language and be married to someone who would never fulfill the least of his vows. If it hadn't been for Reno, Yazoo might've just wilted away to nothing—but that dangerous and unpredictable flesh-peddler had taken pity on him, and Yazoo had never forgotten that.

He would be a little sad to leave Midgar, yes—sad to leave the city he'd grown to know and take comfort in. He didn't really have any friends to leave behind except, perhaps, for Reno himself. How could he call someone "friend" when he lied to them about himself? How could he keep such a huge secret from someone knowing that they trusted him? That made him the worst kind of person in his opinion, a liar just as selfish and uncaring as Rufus.

Wiping at his eyes, he left Rufus's suite, glad that he'd eventually relinquished the childish dream to be happily married to a man who loved him, raising children all the more precious because they'd never been expected to be. It had been naïve and ridiculous of him to even imagine such things, and it felt like a lifetime had passed since he'd finally realized the truth of his situation—he would live isolated from his family, untouched by any lover, unneeded and unwanted by the world at large until he would finally simply die and be buried, just another lost soul in the masses with no one to miss him once he was gone. He knew he had it in common with millions of people the world over, but it didn't make the reality any more bearable. At least if he returned home, he would have his mother to love him and his father to dote on him.

Because he knew better than to think that Rufus would change one iota of his lifestyle, whatever the price might eventually be. He would much rather be rid of Yazoo than forgo the convenience of ready sex in the comfort of his own bed. The question was simply whether Yazoo would work up the courage to leave him. For all that he was only sporadically kind to Yazoo, Rufus was all he'd ever really known.

And Yazoo wasn't sure if he had the strength to start over again.

* * *

"I'm not sure I follow the logic, yo," Reno commented.

"Oh, stop _brooding_," Rufus laughed, far too drunk and wishing his usually boon companion would go back to being his normally boisterous self. Instead, after their discussion at home, Reno had clammed up and become rather sullen and distracted. "You said yes, you can't go back now."

"I just don't get the argument," Reno told him, brushing off a passing person's hand and leaning forward on his couch to be heard over the loud music. The VIP room was crammed with people all having a good time—well, everyone except Reno. "You _seriously_ think that if you get proof of Yazoo cheating, you'll be able to blackmail the Jenovas for their worthless shit in Wutai?"

"I've told you and _told _you!" Rufus slurred, slumping forward so far that he nearly bumped heads with Reno, who drew back just a bit to avoid collision. "That stuff has got to be worth a _fortune_! And if you send it through that asshole in Dai Jiao, then they'll never even know I was _involved_! It's genius!"

"It's _sick_," Reno reminded him. "I especially don't like _my_ part in it. You may think your wife is a bitch but I've looked after Cateyes for fucking _years_, now, Rufus, and I don't like the idea of anybody hurting her and that includes _me_."

Rufus blew off Reno's serious, unhappy frown and crowed, "Oh come _on_! _You_ were the one who ruled out everyone _else_."

"_What_ everyone else?" Reno asked, brows draw together. "Dude, your suggestion was to get the gorilla to do it—do you have _any_ idea what that man would do to her when the clothes came off? I know you ain't done no checks on him but I can tell just looking at him that you _don't_ want to surprise that guy."

"Yeah, yeah, well, that left you," Rufus laughed, and clapped him on his narrow shoulder. "It shouldn't be too hard, Yazoo is a beautiful 'woman' and you're tough enough to man through it."

He gurgled with laughter but Reno didn't join him. The man's keen blue eyes were sharp and hard as they glared at his friend.

"How long we been pals, Rufus?" he asked.

"Oh, I dunno," Rufus sighed, slumping back with a thoughtful grunt, sloshing his drink over his stomach. "Gosh…_years_? Since I was…wait, how old am I again? Fuck, like fourteen years or something? Somewhere around there…"

"Yeah, somewhere around there," Reno agreed. "You know why I'll do this?"

"Hm?" Rufus asked, but he really didn't care as long as Reno would go through with it.

"Because I care about you, yo—I don't want you left with a fucked-up wife and some empty warehouses in Wutai," Reno said. "I'll _do_ this because we're pals, and you asked me, and I don't want some stranger to come blow the whole lid off of Yazoo's life and leave you both fucked in a more literal sense than _you're_ asking for."

Rufus grinned at him and won a lopsided, wry grin in return from his friend, who simply shook his head, tossed back his drink, and declared, "You'll owe me, yo."

"Indeed I will!"

* * *

"Tomorrow," Elena sighed, so transported by the idea that her plan was succeeding that she almost didn't remember to fake an orgasm. She pawned it off on a pretend headache to reassure the old goat that he hadn't lost his nonexistent touch and waited him out. Once he was asleep, she hurried out to her balcony to have a smoke and call Reno's cell again. He couldn't ignore her forever, could he? And maybe she'd be seeing him sooner rather than later.

Surprisingly, he picked up, but it wasn't his slurred, drawling voice that asked, "Hello? Who's it?"

"Rufus?" she asked, perplexed. She didn't have his number and she certainly hadn't dialed one in—she'd used her speed dial, as always. "What on earth are you doing with Reno's phone?"

"Why're you calling him?" Rufus asked, and giggled loudly into the phone when something happened on the other end. "You know, Elena, when I picked up I saw that he had about sixteen missed calls from somebody saved as 'The Witch'—is that _you_?"

"You're an asshole," she told him, flushing because he was probably right. "Let me talk to Reno."

"Pretty sure, sweetheart, that if he wanted to talk to you, he'd answer his phone," Rufus laughed, and sighed a little. "Besides, I got dibs, I'm getting him sloshed and laid since he's such a good pal."

Elena snarled into the phone, fingers tightening so hard that the plastic complained and threatened to break.

"I'll be seeing you, dickhead," she purred.

Rufus laughed, amused, and told her, "Yeah? Well, lemme tell you something, darling—I may not love my wife, in fact I may fucking _hate_ her, but you'd better behave yourself when you're with her."

"What do you think I'll do, Rufus? Tell her you're fucking around on her? She already knows!" Elena scoffed. "There isn't anything I could do to Yazoo that would be worse than what _you_ do to her—fuck, you even toss her off on Reno. I thought that stupid rag-mag was just stretching the truth, but you straight up admitted it!"

"Oh, mind your own business," Rufus told her, sounding dazed and distracted. "Reno is a big boy, Elena, he can fuck whoever he wants, and that includes Yazoo since I couldn't give less of a shit. But you know who he _won't_ fuck, honey?"

Elena snarled into the phone again, ready to murder.

"_You_!" Rufus laughed. "So play nice with Yazoo or you may just fuck up any chance you have of catching him blitzed out of his head and ready to go, got me?"

Elena took a deep, calming breath and threw her used up smoke over the balcony before she softly said, "_You_ were the one who suggested I make friends with Yazoo."

"Yeah, well, I'm fickle," Rufus laughed, and said. "Bye, now! Have fun playing house with that rotten old fart!"

"Fuck you!" Elena shouted, but he'd already hung up.

* * *

It was a very somber, very thoughtful Kadaj who made his way up the back stairs of Reno's house, ignoring the loud music spilling from the various rooms, not even seeing the half-naked and laughing young creatures spilling around being chased by paying patrons and love-struck admirers. He felt ages beyond such things, though he was younger than most of them.

"Hey, Kadaj, you want some blow? You look a little down."

He waved off the offer, shaking his head a little as he made his way to the main stairs and up to the locked double doors that led to Reno's suite. Usually, he would flip the painting that hung on one of the massive doors—a sign that the door was unlocked but he was inside it and no one had better disturb him. He would do it so that Reno, drunk and prone to dropping things, would be able to come to him without hindrance. He never had to worry about the man crashing anywhere else. When he was home, he liked his own big bed.

Tonight, however, Kadaj left the painting as it was and locked the door behind him.

Reno wouldn't be coming home, he knew it. It was already almost dawn and he hadn't even called. Besides, Kadaj had a lot to think about.

Tseng had been a man of his word—he'd not tried to get Kadaj into bed, not after Reno had given the boy an out by subtly saying that he wasn't okay with it. In his current frame of mind, Kadaj was inclined to believe that he hadn't said it because it actually made a difference, he'd just been trying to keep Kadaj from something that clearly scared him.

He looked around at the opulent room, at the towering marble statues and the beautiful flower arrangements, the imported hand-made rugs and the caged exotic birds that the man never even paid attention to. The suite was softly lit with globe gas-lights, faint and steady but not harsh. The whole place held a dream-like, fantasy quality that Kadaj had fallen in love with the first night he'd stayed in that gigantic, heavily carved bed.

Now…now it just felt lonely.

He slipped the _souba_ off of his hip and hung her on the weapons rack that also held several katanas and sharp sabers. Reno kept such things for decoration—when he decided to off someone, he got a little more up close and personal. He almost exclusively used a stun baton, except when he had to kill one of his beauties, and then he just snapped their necks and locked himself away for a few hours to mourn the necessity of such violence.

"Hey, pretty bird," Kadaj cooed on his way to the cages, making sure they all had food and water. He knew the cleaning staff came in during the day and that several of the others came in with them to gawk over Reno's rooms and play with the birds, but he always felt a little bad that they were kept caged here. He was only ever really here at night, and often forgot that the domed glass ceiling—high enough above the smog to actually see the sun—allowed an amazing amount of light to come in. "Boring day?"

The bird ruffled its feathers but didn't respond. All of them had roosted for the night, resting quietly in the softly lit darkness.

Kadaj passed through into the actual bedroom and stripped down, clambering into the huge bed to shiver beneath the cold sheets. He thought briefly of calling some of the others in to sleep next to him, but he couldn't muster the energy. Besides, he didn't want to restart bad habits—even if he didn't have Reno, at least he could make sure the others didn't steal what little time he gave to Kadaj.

He rolled onto his side, recalling how Tseng had touched his hair and his back, how the man hadn't pressed. He'd just said those words…those wise words that made Kadaj think more and more on his situation. He'd never been unhappy with his place before, but he found that running Reno's business simply wasn't compensation enough for not being what he wanted to be—first in the man's life. When he'd first come to this country, Reno hadn't been able to get enough of him…Familiarity did, apparently, breed contempt, because he'd drifted farther and farther away from Kadaj. More often of late it wasn't Reno himself who touched Kadaj in their bed, but some person he'd brought home just for that purpose. It seemed that the only way the man could even desire him anymore was with the assistance of a third party.

He blinked and wiped his tears on his pillow case, a little shaken by what he was contemplating. He was so lost in his dilemma that he almost didn't hear the door open, and sat up in a panic before he heard it close and the heavy lock click.

After a few moments, Reno came staggering into the bedroom, a crooked grin on his face and his clothes half off.

"You locked the door on me, Cateyes!" he teased, flopping onto the bed and wriggling out of his jacket and shirt.

"I didn't think you would come back," Kadaj whispered, still crying.

"Aw," the man sighed, and leaned up on one elbow to wipe at Kadaj's tears. "I promised you, didn't I?"

Kadaj swallowed hard and gave him a tremulous smile, frightening thoughts fluttering through his head. "Yeah."

"Well, here I am, baby," Reno assured him, and rolled off of the bed for a moment to strip. He yanked the covers back, tipped drunkenly to one side, and managed to get into the bed. "Don't cry, Cateyes."

"I can't help it," Kadaj said, and turned his head away. "You're different, Reno. You don't come home to me…"

"I'm here _now_," the man said, and pulled Kadaj down to cradle him against his chest. "He try something on you, Cateyes? Why you crying?"

Kadaj snuggled against his chest, tired and sad and sick at heart, but the only reply he could give was more soft weeping.


	8. Episode 8

**A/N: I know it seems like a lot is going on around Yazoo and that maybe I am making him too much of the story revolve around him, but I wanted to take the time to say that he's kinda pivotal. I've never had to start a soap before, but I wanted one central character around which the other characters would find a connection. Yazoo's story will be the first "storyline" to speak of, and after it plays out I hope to give each character in turn their ride on the drama-lama. If anybody has any dramatic suggestions (and thank you to those of you who already have come up with some fantastic circumstances) just let me know! And thank you again for reading!**

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* * *

  
**

In honor of the sedate feel to the day, Yazoo dressed down for his after-launch shopping trip with Elena. The Grand Opening of the Science Division at ShinRa Headquarters had been a gala event complete with boisterous party afterward where Yazoo—as Rufus's wife—had been expected to play the role to perfection. After so many years it was as natural to him as breathing, and he genuinely liked chatting with others and enjoying their company. Elena had ridden home with them, trading oddly venomous looks with Rufus, and had waited while Yazoo changed.

Though he dressed himself for effect, Yazoo never took chances, even when going casual. The light sweater was long, and he belted it at his round hips and bloused it so that only one side of his pert backside was visible along with one embroidered back-pocket of his fitted jeans. He was careful to loop a soft cashmere scarf around his neck and leave his hair down, and was abjectly grateful to slip his sock-clad feet into his fleece-lined snow boots—a recent comfort that Marlene had introduced to his wardrobe and a welcome change from the stilettos he usually wore. In all, he looked relaxed and natural, and that was _exactly_ what he was going for.

They decided to head to the shops along Wharfside, all of which were boutiques dedicated to this and that which made them expensive enough to discourage all but the most quality-dedicated shoppers. Yazoo preferred the Wharfside shops because the crowds were less likely to make a fuss over him, so he could relax. Also, it was close enough to the Boardwalk that he could hear the shrieks of laughter and imagine what it must be like to have such fun. It was a pleasant pastime, and Rude never hurried him.

Today, however, Rude merely glowered his disapproval of the whole ordeal, trailing the two chatting "women" in his somber suit and ever-present sunglasses.

Yazoo was actually surprised at how eager Elena was to be friends with him. He'd always had the distinct impression that the woman couldn't stand him and could never figure out what he'd done to earn such enmity. Now, however, Elena was giggling and almost _fawning_, something which Yazoo didn't really like but didn't know how to change.

"How about this one?" Yazoo suggested, holding out a skirt. He really disliked Elena's habit of flaunting her body—however nice the merchandise was it didn't need to be displayed with such ugly intent. Yazoo did his best to steer her towards more tasteful designs, and the shops on Wharfside didn't sell the kind of clothing that Elena obviously preferred.

"I don't know," Elena said, a frown creasing her pretty face. Her blue eyes slid over the skirt with barely concealed distaste and she asked, "Don't they sell anything here that my grandma wouldn't wear?"

"This is a store for ladies," Yazoo softly reminded her, examining the skirt for himself. "Ladies don't _want _to look like tarts."

Elena stifled a laugh, but gamely took another look at the skirt.

"I think I'll get this one," Yazoo idly said. "My seamstress has been asking after me, this will give her something to—"

"_Mrs. ShinRa_!"

Yazoo nearly dropped the filmy skirt he was holding, he was so startled. In a place like Emile's, people did not _shout_.

He glanced around for the source of that yell and found himself once again confronted with the White Rose of Wutai—now busily bouncing towards him, laden with bags and grinning like a recent escapee of a mental institution.

"I thought that was you!" she crowed, and shoved her too-big sunglasses up on her head, pushing her black hair into frightened poufs above them. She was wearing a get-up that Yazoo couldn't make sense of—and he quickly stopped trying before it gave him an awful headache. "How are you?"

"Fine," Yazoo assured her, carefully replacing the skirt on the rack and smiling at the young woman. "And yourself, Miss Kisagari?"

"Tops, thanks!" Yuffie cried, and turned to glance around the store. "Nice place."

"Yes, I like it," Yazoo said, a little at a loss. "Miss Kisagari, please tell me you aren't wandering around without your father's guards…"

"They fell behind somewhere at the chocolate shop," Yuffie said, apparently unperturbed by it. She shoved some of her bags at Rude and said, "Here, hang onto this for a sec."

"Uhm, Miss Kisagari, I—" Yazoo tried, eying Rude's disgruntled frown.

"Who's your pal?" Yuffie asked, blowing a bubble with her gum and popping it to chew noisily.

Elena bristled, offended by her at once, but Yazoo couldn't be rude. Unwillingly, he introduced them, saying, "Yuffie, this is Elena Lügner—Elena, this is Princess Yuffie Kisagari, the White Rose of Wutai."

"Charmed," Elena said, sounding anything but.

Yuffie popped a bubble at her, clearly not impressed. When she looked at Yazoo, though, she lit up with a grin and asked, "Mind if I shop with you for awhile? Can I call you Yazoo?"

"I really don't think we know one another well enough for that," Yazoo reminded her, but smiled a little. She was a persistent little thing, he had to hand it to her. "But where are my manners? Of course, Miss Kisagari, please join us."

"Thanks!"

* * *

Kadaj felt no better after he'd slept, his mood not improved by the fact that Reno was still asleep snuggled around a pillow instead of him.

"Is afternoon sex too much to ask for?" he asked, and sourly pelted the man with his pillow as he got out of bed.

Reno groaned a complaint at him but didn't respond except to gruffly shout, "Close the fucking blinds!"

Kadaj yanked the heavy curtains closed and went to shower, still furious over his predicament. The more he thought of it, the more he realized Tseng was right—Reno used him to run his business, but he didn't need him anymore for anything else. Kadaj was still young, still able to do something with himself. Perhaps he _should _leave him. Perhaps it wasn't too late to start new with someone who would put his cunning business skills to good use. After all, if Kadaj could run an Empire of flesh at his tender age, an Empire made of _money _should be easy—it wasn't like money back-sassed or bitched or got the shit beat out of it or needed fillings or shots or physicals. He could only win with such a situation…_couldn't_ he?

He stepped out of the shower and quickly brushed his teeth and dressed. For as pretty and vain as he was he spent surprisingly little time on his appearance, trusting to his natural beauty to carry him through. Today he had to run to Reno's various establishments and empty the safes. Of course, he would also deliver the books in person to Tseng…

It was a thought that filled him with a different kind of fear. Yes, the man terrified him. Yes, the man was clearly a killer with little conscience or need to be forgiven. Yes, he still made Kadaj nearly bloodless with terror…but it was all wrapping itself around the thrilling knowledge that the man would do anything to have him. Such dangerous desire was heady stuff, and Kadaj was young enough to be seduced by it.

He skimmed out of the suite with his _souba _strapped to his hip, a soft smile on his young and lovely face.

* * *

The trio spent the early afternoon shopping and browsing and, surprisingly, Yazoo found himself more entertained with Yuffie than with Elena. The odd little Princess was bubbling over with hare-brained opinions and outrageous comments, all of which she voiced at max volume, more than once drawing laughter from Yazoo. She seemed to be genuinely attempting to contain herself, though, and Yazoo caught the young lady surreptitiously watching him with anxious dark eyes to see how Yazoo moved and gestured. It made Yazoo wonder if the young Princess had been a little forgotten in her massive household of degenerate siblings and simply hadn't _had _the same instruction as other young ladies of royal breeding.

Elena, though smoothly cultured and amusing, proved to be far less of a relaxing companion. It seemed that the icy blond merely wanted to return to Yazoo's home and "ditch the brat" in favor of wine and a game of cards.

Yazoo found himself strangely reluctant to part company with Yuffie, and when the young Princess popped out with the suggestion that they should eat at The Overlook Yazoo immediately agreed. He very rarely ever dined out without Rufus and he had a deep love of seafood that he wasn't often allowed to indulge. The Overlook was on the Pier and built out into the deep shelf of the ocean, a view that simply couldn't be rivaled, and their seafood was to die for.

Rude called Yazoo's driver and had him come collect the packages before he would follow them down to the pier—he wanted both hands free, just in case. It was a precaution that made Yazoo give him a grateful smile, reassured that at least one person cared whether he made it through another day or not.

"So, Mrs. ShinRa," Yuffie started, and looped her arm through Yazoo's, busily smacking her gum. "I was wondering if you could maybe teach me them manners you got."

"Why, Miss Kisagari!" Yazoo said, smiling at her. She was wearing heeled boots and Yazoo was in his snow boots but he was still much taller than she. "What a compliment, thank you! Are you sure?"

"You know, Yazoo," Elena cut in, looping her own arm through Yazoo's free one and smirking at Yuffie since _she_ got to use Yazoo's given name. "I think you should probably let an etiquette teacher deal with this one—she's Wutain, so her customs aren't like ours—"

"Yeah, we wash our hands after we shit, we don't make the servants wash them for us," Yuffie snorted, and immediately cast an apologetic look up at Yazoo, who merely sighed and shook his head. "Sorry…"

"Oh my _my_! If luck isn't on my side this evening then I have _no _idea where she's gone!"

Yuffie cringed and stopped in her tracks as a tall, slender, auburn-haired man came strutting down the Pier towards them with no less than four other people in tow.

Yazoo recognized him immediately and blushed, both ashamed of Rufus's actions and desperate to meet him.

"My dearest little darling Rose!" he cried, placing his hand over his heart. He was dressed in a way that almost _dared _fashion to oppose him—flaunting it and flouting it all at once in a combination that reporters had come to term as "Rhapsodese." He fluttered his lashes at Yuffie and gave her a tragic pout, adding, "I have been out of my mind, darling! Where've you been? Night and day, I searched for you! My love, how could you wound me so?"

"Uh, Genesis," Yuffie said, and looked a little shame-faced. She ended with a lame, "Hi."

Genesis scowled at her and sighed, hands on hips, and scolded, "Yuffie, my love, you were _kidnapped _from my play, held _hostage _overnight in a hostile and—I must add this, dearest—absolutely unutterably _rude _household, and then sent off to parts unknown without ever even a _text_!"

He paused for a breath, and added with a twinkle in his light blue eyes, "All I can say, my Rose, is that he had better be _phenomenally _gorgeous!"

Yuffie giggled and threw her arms around his neck, trading air-kisses on his cheeks and laughing, "I don't know, Genesis, I passed the fuck out!"

She turned back to Yazoo, who was stricken with nerves, and Elena, who just looked like a cat that had been dunked in a tub.

"This is Mrs. Yazoo ShinRa—" she started, but Genesis swooped in before Yuffie could finish the introduction and snatched up Yazoo's hand.

"My my, if it isn't the renowned Cetran Swan," he purred, and gallantly kissed Yazoo's knuckles, which brought an immediate blush. "Your beauty, my lovely lady, has not been exaggerated one whit—I find myself recalling a request signed by yourself? Consider it granted, madam! I had only awaited the opportunity to be graced with your presence."

Yazoo stifled his pleased, surprised giggle behind his free hand, a little shocked to be so blatantly flirted with by a man who was so obviously homosexual.

"Oh, and that's Elena," Yuffie added.

"Well," Genesis said, and gave Elena a smile, though his blue eyes raked her with scrutiny. "Charmed, I'm sure."

"Likewise," Elena scowled, and tugged Yazoo's arm down to loop her own around it once more. "We were just off to eat dinner—I would invite you, but you've got quite the entourage and I'm afraid we won't get seating."

"Nonsense! It sounds _fabulous_!" Genesis cried, and shooed his followers with sweeping motions of his slender hands. "Off with you, my babies! Go on! I'll call for you in a bit. Bye bye!"

"Come on," Elena muttered, and surged ahead, dragging Yazoo along with her.

"Well, _you've_ been busy," Genesis breathed, smiling down at Yuffie.

"Back off, I saw her first!" Yuffie snapped, slapping his offered arm and scowling. "She's gonna teach me manners!"

"Honey, she might as well just hit herself in her pretty head with something hard and splintery because _you _are a lost cause! Besides," he added, grinning at Yuffie and tipping a wink at Yazoo when she looked back at them. "She's _perfect_! I've been trying to meet her for _ages_—I want her to endorse my new line."

"I saw her first!" Yuffie repeated, squealing a little in fury.

"Well, then," Genesis teased, leaning close. "_May the best girl win_!"

They both laughed and headed after Yazoo, arm in arm and Rude shadowing close behind.

* * *

Rufus settled into his comfy chair in his den and smiled, a glass of whiskey in hand and his favorite cigar smoldering in the ashtray next to him. He was pleased with himself, pleased with how things were going to play out.

It couldn't be anymore perfect, he knew it. He'd been after the Jenova fortune for a very long time now, and had hoped that having Yazoo as a spouse would entitle him to a decent percentage—something in the way of a dowry, maybe? Much to his consternation, in the manner of their people, only the firstborn sons inherited. Daughters merely got the status of their father's houses and lines, but nothing beyond a stipend, an _allowance_.

"Well, now I'll have something, won't I?" Rufus asked himself, smirking and smug.

It was almost too perfect. With proof of Yazoo cheating he could and would blackmail the Jenova family into handing over everything they owned in Wutai. It would be beautiful to see so much money…He ignored the nagging voice that told him if he'd just worked hard, if he'd actually _tried _at his position instead of waiting for his father to die, if he'd just _save _the money the Jenovas sent him monthly for their "daughter" then he'd be a very rich man already. As it stood, he burned through money faster than he burned through cigars, and he desperately wanted their holdings in Wutai. Though they had tried to convince him that they were worthless holdings, Rufus knew better. He assumed that the tactics were to simply put him off of the trail.

He never once considered that they were telling the _truth_.

The plan was almost shocking in its simplicity—Reno would seduce Yazoo, manage to get incriminating and compromising pictures of it, and he would have his Wutain overlord Tseng blackmail the Jenova family into giving over the deeds. The best part was, he would give them incentive by adding that Rufus would be devastated to know about the affair and it would surely lead to an ugly fallout if the pictures were to surface. It was almost _delicious_, it was so good! This way, Rufus was in the clear!

Nothing could be traced back to him, and if that nutty family decided to seek a little vengeance, then they could track down Tseng and deal with him because Rufus's hands would be squeaky clean.

He tipped his glass to the portrait of himself on the wall opposite, and winked at it.

"_You _are one helluva smart man, Rufus ShinRa," he complimented, and tossed his drink back with a satisfied smirk.

* * *

Sorry the update is a day late, I had things to do yesterday and didn't get online :(


	9. Episode 9

"So," Tseng said, watching the jade-eyed beauty perched so hesitantly on the edge of the hotel room's single desk. "Have you given some thought to my suggestion?"

He liked the way Kadaj's big eyes widened, liked the exotic shape of them—the cat-like tilt that complimented those slit cat-pupils. The boy's eyes were large and gorgeous, his lashes a darker shade of silver than his fine, wispy hair. Tseng had touched that hair when Kadaj was a young child, had run his fingers through it and found it to be heavy and surprisingly thick, so fine that it had slipped through his fingers like spider webs.

He could see the pulse ticking in the boy's slender throat—so graceful, his race. So lovely and supple and well-suited to love that it was no wonder the entire country was so decadent. Kadaj, he knew, was descended from the Cetran people's most esteemed line. His breeding showed in the fine structure of his face, in the delicate and long lines of his throat, in the slender but dainty length of his fingers.

If only Kadaj knew who he was, then he would never settle for being Reno's creature…

"I…I've been with him for a long time, he _saved_ me," Kadaj finally said. They spoke in his mother-tongue, that sharp and clipped language that Tseng had taken great pains to become fluent in. "I can't just turn away from him…"

"He would turn on _you_," Tseng breathed, slipping around behind him so that Kadaj was forced to lose sight of him or else make it patently obvious that he was keeping close dibs on Tseng's whereabouts. He reached out once more and stroked the long length of the boy's spine, every bump of vertebrae and every dip committed to memory. "I know for a fact that he would turn on me, and our dealings run far deeper and for far longer than _yours_…"

Let him think on that. He was Cetran, after all—though he'd been snatched from his rightful place too young to remember it, awareness of potential betrayal and manipulation was instinctual for those such as Kadaj.

Kadaj breathed unsteadily, his head turning just a little. The movement made Tseng smile, knowing that the boy detested anything being at his vulnerable back except for a wall.

"Sir—"

"_Tseng_," he patiently corrected, and moved fluidly around when Kadaj turned more fully to face him. He sat next to the boy on the desk and cupped his soft cheek, content to take his time.

With such a treasure at stake, Tseng could be patient. Life had taught him that he would get what he wanted in the end, regardless—he would have Kadaj.

There simply wasn't any way to stop him.

"Tseng," Kadaj breathed, and his fear was intoxicating, as was the flare of desire he could sense behind it.

Like the pied-piper, Tseng would continue to undermine Reno's place in Kadaj's life, would continue to imply that greater happiness rested with himself, would gently push at the boy's limits until he had access to that which he required.

And when he was done? Well, should there be anything worth saving, then Tseng supposed that his family would very much like to know the boy's whereabouts…after all, it isn't every day that one's rightful heir is restored to a long, unbroken line of kings.

Tseng smiled at Kadaj, silently biding his time.

* * *

Yazoo had never laughed so much in his life as he did that evening with Yuffie, Genesis, and Elena. Though the woman had seemed to be almost _pouting _for a long while, Elena had finally done an abrupt about-face once more and become rather animated and chipper. Neither Yuffie nor Genesis rebuffed her attempts to be nice, but they didn't seem to encourage her, either.

"So," Genesis said, tipping his wineglass up for a sip before he cut his eyes at Rude, whom Yazoo had invited to join them. He didn't consider Rude a servant of any kind, and tended to treat him as more of a friend and an equal than the way Rufus treated his own help. "You've been such a lovely little darling all night long but you've failed to introduce me to this _fabulous _hunk of man."

"Oh, I beg your pardon!" Yazoo gasped, embarrassed by his _faux pas_—he almost never forgot himself to the point that his manners suffered for it, but the excitement of meeting Genesis had quite driven it all from his head. "Oh, please do excuse me! This is Rude, my bodyguard."

Genesis gave him an indulgent, smug leer—every bit as feminine now with Rude as he'd been masculine and chivalrous earlier with Yazoo—and purred, "If he's half as good as he looks, _I_ wouldn't mind about his manners, either."

Yuffie snorted with laughter, covering her mouth with her slender hand.

Yazoo saw one of Rude's fine eyebrows lift over the top of his sunglasses, but he didn't deign to comment.

"It's a nickname," he explained, giggling a little when Genesis merely turned that leer on _him _and switched yet again to flirtatious heterosexual with an ease that made Yazoo vaguely jealous.

"So, Yazoo, darling," he said, putting his glass down. They were lingering over wine since Yazoo was so reluctant to return to his empty and lonely home. "What on earth is it like being married to the ShinRa?"

"Well, it's probably everything you think," Yazoo evasively said, unable to resist glancing Rude's way.

"So he's a dull, womanizing spendthrift with the intellectual capability of a flea and the motivation of a hibernating _bear_?" Genesis offered, and refilled Yazoo's glass as he gasped in soft and amused surprise. "I figured as much—a woman like you is wasted on a man like that, darling, take it from me._ I've _been wasted on more men in my life than you'll probably ever have the misfortune of meeting, so I speak from experience."

"He's not so bad," Yazoo whispered, compelled to defend his husband of so many years.

"I've seen him all over the city—a different girl every night," Yuffie added, popping a strawberry into her mouth from the depleted plate of after-dinner desserts. "Hell, just the other night he was all over _me_, and I told him a billion times that he ain't my type."

"Too much money?" Genesis empathized, giving Yuffie a pout.

"Too much cock," Yuffie corrected, and grinned that shark-like grin. "I decided last night that it's girls for me, now, Genesis—boys fuck me, fuck me up, and fuck me over."

"Amen!" Genesis sighed, softly knocking his glass against hers before draining it down.

"Well, they aren't _all _bad," Elena said, picking up her spoon to lick off a bit of icing while Yazoo just slowly drew back a little, disconcerted by the conversation. "Take me for example—I live with ShinRa Senior, you know? He's a boar in the sack but he's a sweetheart the rest of the time. I wouldn't trade him, even though he makes me crazy sometimes."

Yazoo gave her a grateful smile, happy to hear that Elena was no longer an utter wreck at the idea of staying with Rufus's father anymore.

"Yazoo, I had a question for you," Genesis said, leaning close to smile into Yazoo's face. "Dearest, would you mind terribly coming by my agency at some point? I have decided to expand my area of interest to clothing design and I would love, love, _love _to have you support it."

"Oh, I would be flattered," Yazoo said, but hesitated, concerned. "It's just that…well, I have a very specific wardrobe that I keep to and I don't really know if it would suit…"

"Oh, sweetheart, don't panic," Genesis told her, Yuffie hanging over his shoulder to second it with another ferocious grin. "I would never embarrass you…well, not where _clothing _is concerned, anyway. I can't say that I won't shriek across a restaurant when I see you next, I tend to be high strung and I _do _so adore you! Say that you will? _Please_?"

"_Please_?" Yuffie begged, echoing him, both of them giving him the puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, well alright," Yazoo agreed, blushing with pleasure, a soft smile on his face. "I don't suppose I can say no to that, can I?"

"My dear Cetran Swan, I am Genesis _Rhapsodos_—no one says no to _me_," he teased, and winked before he polished off the rest of the wine.

* * *

Rufus was nearly beside himself by the time that Yazoo came home. He'd been drinking in his den most of the evening, happily plotting to himself and busily spending the money that he planned on having eventually. He'd phoned Reno twice and been booted to voicemail. When he'd phoned that diamond-hard and sharp little bodyguard of his the boy had told him in clipped, short tones that he hadn't the faintest idea of where Reno was at and that if Reno knew what was good for him he'd _stay _gone for a bit as Kadaj was in _no _mood to put up with his shit.

Rufus had been appalled and shocked by his impromptu speech but had been spared a reply as Reno himself came strolling into the room.

And now, Yazoo was home.

"Go on!" he urged, shooing Reno out of the door and leaning drunkenly against the frame.

"Rufus," Reno lowly said, glaring at him. "It ain't like I can get Cateyes in the sack and get you your stuff _tonight_, asshole, okay? Take it down a notch."

"Didn't you get the camera today?" Rufus whined, hearing Yazoo's soft footsteps echoing on the landing. He hissed at Reno, "_Hurry up he's going to his room_!"

"Hey, _you _ain't allowed in there, I _am_," Reno reminded him, scowling. "Yeah, I got the camera, but I can't exactly waltz up to Cateyes and say, 'Hey, babe, let's fuck, but hang on a second while I get this camera in place'—you get what I'm saying, yo? Let me do this _my _way, Rufus. You'll get your shit, okay? You don't fucking need it right now anyway."

"Oh _stop_!" Rufus snarled, and shoved him out of the door. "Go _on_! Go get him!"

"You're such an asshole," Reno growled, and stalked off down the hallway.

"Whatever, just go do it already!" Rufus spat in a stage whisper, flailing his hand at him. He grinned in triumph to see Reno take the stairs two at a time, catching up to his wife. To himself, he whispered, "You won't be such a high and mighty little bitch pretty soon, Yazoo, will you? Nope, you'll be _just like me_…"

He practically giggled with glee as he skimmed up the stairs, keeping well back on his way to his own suite. He could hear Reno's low, lazy voice carrying down the hallway and Yazoo's own, soft and purring and somehow sad.  
Rufus ducked down the hallway and cast a grin back over his shoulder.

Yep, in no time at all he'd be one very rich man with one extremely biddable wife.

Reno would make sure of it.

* * *

"Hey, Cateyes, wait up a sec," Reno called, catching up to Yazoo as he was poised to go into his suite.

"Reno, hello!" he said, smiling at him, always so happy to see him. He cocked his head, the illusion of womanhood perfect to the very flutter of his eyelashes. "What're you doing? I thought you'd taken Rufus somewhere."

"Nah, he's fucking drunk already," Reno told him, chewing his lower lip a little. Seeing Yazoo as he was, melancholy and vulnerable, almost childlike in his simple need to be accepted—well, it paused him. But he wasn't controlling an Empire because he was a _good man_, no. So he smiled at Yazoo and asked, "You been out and about? You look nice."

"Thank you!" Yazoo said, blushing prettily. It was so easy to make him happy, so easy to satisfy him. "I went out this evening with Elena. She was keen to come back with me but I'm feeling a little tired—I had wine tonight."

"Look out world!" Reno teased, knowing that Yazoo and alcohol mixed as well as water with oil. "You tipsy?"

"Not quite," Yazoo laughed, opening the door and going into his parlor. He left the door ajar, the signal that Reno had come to understand as an invitation to come or go as he pleased. "No, I only had a glass altogether, I was being careful, but it did make me a little sleepy. Are you staying here tonight or do you have big famous-man plans?"

Reno snorted a little in derision but he knew that _Yazoo _knew how much he enjoyed his notoriety. He'd come up from less than nothing and he was proud of his accomplishments. He felt justified living the lifestyle he lived, and nothing would change his mind about that.

"I'll probably go home, got somebody waiting for me," he said, remembering that Kadaj had been angry this morning and would probably require some serious wooing. He couldn't have his best asset go all rogue on him. "You going to bed?"

"Oh, I don't know," Yazoo sighed, dropping his handbag down on a scrollwork table and taking his earrings out. "I may watch the news or something. I really just didn't want to be around Elena any longer—isn't that awful? Oh, I'm terrible, really, but she just isn't restful. Perhaps I'm being ungenerous…I'll make more of an effort to be friends with her."

Reno laughed a little at him, hearing Yazoo go from vaguely critical to abjectly repentant.

"You know, maybe people would stop treating you like a doormat if you'd stop acting like one, yo," he said, fiddling with a pretty filigreed marble clock because he really wanted a cigarette and Yazoo strictly forbade smoking anywhere but in his breakfast nook. "Man, Cateyes, you got this fancy shit all _over _the place!"

"I like fancy things, and don't call me that," Yazoo reminded him, and turned to lean against the table, arms crossing beneath the perfect illusion of his breasts. He tilted his pretty head, his jade eyes half closed and oddly hurt. "Reno…do you truly think I'm a doormat?"

It made him laugh again to hear the doubt in Yazoo's voice. Never in his life had he met someone so eager to please, so easily led as Yazoo. He knew it was a combination of Mommy-Jenova being the overbearing dragon that she was, being forced into a façade of femininity, and being browbeaten by Rufus for so long…but it still amused him a little and made Yazoo that much more precious to him.

"Cateyes, you gotta have more confidence in yourself," he sighed, and put the clock back down. He gave Yazoo an indulgent smile and patted his soft cheek. "Ain't I been telling you for years now that you're one of a kind?"

"Not in any kind of _good _way," Yazoo breathed, and offered him a tremulous smile. "Well, I shouldn't keep you. I'm sorry I'm so out of sorts…please, feel free to join me for breakfast whenever you like."

"How about dinner instead?" Reno inquired, shaking his head a little. No matter how many times he told Yazoo to be more assertive, the beautiful man merely wound up dissolving into apologies and penitence.

Yazoo's brows drew close and he asked, "Dinner? Is there an occasion? Rufus hasn't said anything—"

"No occasion," Reno assured him, heading for the door. "Rufus is gonna be busy for awhile and you know I get bored. You can come to my new restaurant, see how the food is."

"It isn't a…" Yazoo's voice dropped to a low whisper and he added with a scandalized look on his face, "…a _strip _club is it?"

Reno laughed aloud again, genuinely amused. He'd spent his fair share of time with Yazoo's people—nobody knew more about flesh than the Cetrans—and it amused him to no end that Yazoo was more uptight than any nun Reno had ever met during childhood.

"Nah, Cateyes, it ain't a strip club," he said. "I'll come around for you."

"Call first," Yazoo said, and flushed a little when Reno gave him a quizzical look. In an apologetic voice he softly explained, "I've met some people…they're quite happy to have me out with them. I might be gone."

Reno lifted one eyebrow, impressed, and winked at Yazoo before he let himself out into the hallway.

So far, so good.


	10. Episode 10!

Tseng was still gloating over his small victory with Kadaj hours after the boy had solemnly gone off on one of his errands. He took his drink in hand and wandered out onto the balcony, sipping methodically and smiling at the sun setting in the curtain of smog.

He didn't have any qualms undercutting Reno where Kadaj was concerned. They certainly weren't friends, and they each needed the other too much to let anything end their relationship. Tseng's Empire in Dai Jiao would flounder without Reno's revenue keeping it afloat, and Reno's Empire would topple beneath the weight of dirty money without Tseng's many companies to circulate his funds through. It was a reciprocal relationship...and he didn't seem to take much interest in Kadaj, for what it was worth. Tseng had seen Reno on the prowl before, had seen the type of person who drew him and Kadaj simply wasn't the type. Though the boy would, no doubt, do anything and everything that Reno asked of him, he was too deliberate and rough, too independent to be what Reno was usually attracted to. Tseng should know, _he_ had entertained Reno in Dai Jiao on numerous occasions, and had to send for his _company_ by special request.

In all honesty, if it weren't for Kadaj's worth as a pawn, Reno most likely wouldn't have him at all.

Tseng smiled again and finished his drink, sighing as the sun guttered out behind the smog and clouded lights.

Yes, Reno would be put out about the defection of his prized possession, but Tseng knew he'd never get too upset about a piece of ass and whatever plans he had where the boy was concerned could never benefit him in the long run. He wouldn't stay mad for long, not when he had so many other things to amuse him in Midgar.

He thought of what Kadaj had said to him earlier, _'He's always with her…It _scares_ me_…'

Yes, Reno certainly had his own agenda lately, it would seem. Tseng had been correct to take an interest in Mrs. ShinRa. Anything that Reno considered valuable to himself would be valuable to Tseng.

One never knew when one would need to arrange a timely kidnapping for blackmail purposes, or when certain things could be mentioned to make terms more equitable for himself. No one was going to take care of him, after all.

Tseng had always taken care of himself.

"Mrs. ShinRa, you prove to be a more interesting young lady than I first believed," Tseng murmured, wondering how he could arrange to meet her. Wondering why she drew powerful men to herself like honey drawing flies—first Rude, and now Reno…

"I believe you are keeping secrets," he whispered, picturing her in his head—slender but still curvy, her beauty haunting because of the sadness that lay behind her tentative smiles. She was, indeed, the most beautiful example of a Cetran woman that Tseng had ever seen and he still wondered over her being the first and only woman born to the Jenovas.

Something simply wasn't right.

"Patience," he purred, drawing back into his suite and pausing before the mirror to straighten his tie, to smooth his stark black hair. He looked himself in the eyes and reminded, "You always get what you want."

With that, he left his suite to explore the pleasures of the city.

* * *

"No, send Marta to that one, I need Ivan for Solos tonight," Kadaj instructed, leaning over the belly-high, wide, and deep receptionist desk at Reno's base of operations, The Brink—his first and, to date, most sweeping success. It was part strip-club, part high-end dining, and a party favorite of high-class socialites and their jaded spouses.

He lay bent over the desk, propped on his elbows to see the appointment book Neala was holding, his black net shirt baring the hard muscle of his belly, his low-rise leather pants riding just high enough to keep him remotely decent. There were silver buckles down the seams of his pants, and the seams themselves parted to fit snugly over the tops of his heavy black combat boots. He looked slender and hard and untouchable—and all of that was true. It only matched his deep and disturbing anger which Tseng had roused in him towards Reno.

"What we got going on tonight?"

He felt Reno's familiar hands slide onto his hips, holding tightly as the man fit himself to Kadaj's backside with the ease of long use.

"Neala got the books mixed up again," Kadaj told him, sighing over it and shaking his head. "Really, one more time, Neala, and you're getting sent to the kitchens, you understand?"

"Hey, don't be so mean, Cateyes, Neala don't mean no harm, do you baby?" Reno asked, leaning over Kadaj to pat Neala on her flushed cheek. "You gonna be a good girl and pay attention? Yeah? Don't be disappointing me no more, Neala, I hate to have to put my beauties down…"

"I'll be good, Mister Reno, Sir," she stammered, utterly flustered.

Kadaj scowled at her and snapped, "Keep your stupid brain focused on the books, you dumb shit. If I get another call from anybody saying they got sent to the wrong place, I'm gonna whip it out of your ass. We clear?"

"Crystal," Neala squeaked, terrified.

Reno chuckled and drifted off to his office, which Kadaj alone used mostly nowadays.

Kadaj followed in his wake, clearing out the few girls and boys who'd chased after Reno, eager to see him.

"Get out, all of you," he snapped, and slammed the door after them, locking it.

Reno had slumped into the loveseat against one wall, looking tired and wrung out.

Kadaj felt guilty suddenly, and flushed to think that he'd been earnestly plotting to leave with Tseng. Reno _needed_ him—the man simply didn't know how to take care of himself and he'd work himself to death without Kadaj around. Looking at him, at his strained and beautiful face, at the tired slump of his body, all Kadaj could feel was an overwhelming sense of obligation and that same sharp, sweet love that had first made itself known so many years ago.

'_If I want him to be mine alone, I should _fight_ for him…_'

"What's wrong?" Kadaj asked, moving away from the door to straddle Reno's lap and stroke his face. "You look worried…"

"I got some heavy shit on my plate, Cateyes," he said, weary. He pressed his cheek into Kadaj's palm and sighed a little.

"You think about her too much," Kadaj decided, unhappy with the turn of things, guessing that this concern and unhappiness he saw on his lover's face was a result of his growing friendship with Yazoo. "Mrs. ShinRa isn't someone you need to bother with, she never has been. I've never understood why you're so partial to her."

Reno's big blue eyes slid open, half-lidded and dangerous—what had first attracted Kadaj besides their obvious similarities. He rocked forward a little in Reno's lap, pressing his groin to the man's hard belly, whispering, "You need to think more of your Kadaj, always waiting at home for you."

Reno gave him a lazy smile and gripped his slender hips, pulling Kadaj more firmly against him, murmuring, "Yeah, I do. You been missing me, Cateyes? Shouldn't leave my little boy home alone, should I?"

Kadaj smiled his slow, sexy smile and breathed, "I have my needs, Reno. _You_ know this better than anyone…"

He spread his thighs, pressing down harder, and won a soft sound from his older lover, those slender fingers tightening on his hips, those incredible blue eyes sparkling with sudden heat.

"You want her, _Mrs. ShinRa_?" he purred, deft little hands parting Reno's jacket to finish the job of unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the man's creamy white skin and his hard, whipcord-slim belly. He wedged his hand down between their bodies and started on his belt and zipper, leaning in to moan into his ear, "You think you can get from _her_ what your Kadaj can give you? Hm?"

Reno laughed a little, as if Kadaj had made some kind of joke, but the boy's hot hand on his hard cock quickly turned it into a curse, his hips twitching up.

"So pretty," Kadaj cooed, pulling back a little to work his hand within the restrictive confines of Reno's pants. He slit his eyes into a languorous, sensual display of arousal and breathed, "You may have your toys, Reno, but _this_ belongs in your little Kadaj…"

Reno groaned, arching up a little, willing to be drawn into Kadaj's seduction. As jaded as he was, he still was not immune to the boy's blatant appeal, and Kadaj was an accomplished sex partner, moreso than some of the people he employed.

That firm, squeezing little hand pumped him into a full-blown, aching hard-on, and then withdrew.

Kadaj slipped out of his lap and pulled Reno up, leading him to the heavy chairs before his desk and pushing him back into the one dead-center. Before the man sat, Kadaj worked his loosened pants down a little so he could reach him.

"You go so long without seeing me," he pouted, kneeling between Reno's legs, forcing the cloth of his dress pants away from his stiff, lovely cock. With little flicks of his tongue, he teased it, enjoying himself, moaning in appreciation of his lover's taste.

Reno's head dropped back against the back of the chair, his glittering eyes on Kadaj as he put on his show—it was something to see. Kadaj made everything seductive, and his genuine enjoyment only served to arouse Reno even more. It was one thing to have the fake, fawning love of his groupies, and quite another to have the carnal, hungry love of his Cateyes.

Those jade-green, glittering cat eyes flicked to his face, hazy and sensual, and the boy took him down all the way, swallowing him into the constricting heat of his convulsively rippling throat.

Reno cursed a little, breathlessly, wriggling beneath Kadaj's soft, warm little hands. Kadaj was a fucking miracle, as far as Reno was concerned, even if he tended to forget that fact too often for comfort. Kadaj took the term "deep throat" to a whole new level. The first time he'd seen him, the boy had been splayed out on his back on a podium in the center of the skankiest club Reno had ever been in, one enormous cock in his ass and another even bigger one all the way down his gorgeous throat—Reno had decided that same second that he'd take him home to keep. And he _had_.

Kadaj sucked him for a long, agonizing amount of time, and then slowly bit his way up to roll the tip between his sharp, perfect white teeth. It made Reno's back arch, his flanks tightening and his belly taut. After so many years, Kadaj knew every single one of his go-to spots, knew just how to get him off and how to make him ache for it.

Finally, the boy loosely swirled his tongue around him and pulled away with a satisfied sigh, leaving him wet and straining into the empty air.

"That's better," he sighed, standing and undoing his leather pants, slipping them down as he turned to press the world's most perfect, round ass into Reno's lap. With one small, quick little hand, he reached back and held Reno's throbbing cock still as he sank down on it. No prep time, no foreplay—Kadaj was all business.

Slowly, slowly, he sank down all the way to rest on the man's tight body.

Reno breathed a soft curse behind him and closed his eyes, relaxing into the seat, liquid with pleasure. Kadaj never made him work for it. The boy took special, well-deserved pride in getting Reno off without him having to do anything.

Kadaj gripped the armrests and started to rock in that undulating, writhing way that strippers did during a lap-dance—only _this_ was the real-deal. What every man and woman fantasized about with those untouchable bodies gyrating in their laps, Kadaj did. He circled his hips, rolled his belly, and rode Reno's cock using his braced legs for leverage. He slid up slowly and dropped down fast; he pressed hard and rocked with short thrusts of his hips.

He fucked the holy hell out of Reno.

"Now, cum for me," Kadaj breathed, leaning forward to hold onto the desk, pressing his round, amazing ass hard into Reno's crotch. He spread his tight little legs as far as his lowered pants would allow, and started lunging forward and back in a brutal, bruising rhythm, his musical moans only fueling the fire. Breathlessly, he added, "Cum inside me and show me that you need me…"

Reno's breath started coming in short, broken gasps. His long-fingered hands gripped the armrests hard, his eyes rolling up as his hips lifted in a spasm of pleasure. With a long, hissing curse, he came inside that squeezing, wildly pumping body, lifting Kadaj's slender form on his thrusting, rocking hips. He moaned a little, pulsing up, twisting beneath Kadaj's body in a long, sweet orgasm that washed through him long after he'd shot the last of his load inside the boy's sweet, tight little ass.

And all along, Kadaj whispered and moaned, "Yes, this is what I want! This is what I want…"

Reno slumped down with a replete, tired sigh, boneless beneath the boy's slender weight.

Kadaj slipped off of him with a smirk, turning to lean against the desk so that his own pretty cock was exposed. He reached out and traced the crimson tattoo beneath Reno's right eye, murmuring, "_I'm_ the only one you need, Reno."

Reno smiled lazily, eyes closed in bliss. When the boy clambered up onto the chair, knees braced on the armrests and hard little hands gripping the chair's back, Reno slid his hands up and held that slim body steady, mouth parting to suck Kadaj deep.

* * *

_**The Next Day**_

**

* * *

**

"Yazoo, come here!"

Yazoo paused on the stair, looking back up at the landing where Rufus was hanging out of his suite door, an earnest look on his handsome face. Long years before, that earnest look on that same handsome face had compelled Yazoo to forgive him many ugly, startling things, but it had long since lost it's ability to affect, and he only impatiently asked, "Yes, what is it? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Oh, screw work, come up here!" Rufus repeated, and gestured to Yazoo. "Come have breakfast with me."

Taken aback, Yazoo just stared at him for a long while before he said, "Thank you, no. I've had breakfast already—and besides, it's _lunch_, Rufus. I'm going out."

"With _who_?" Rufus crooned, and sounded so gloating and malicious that Yazoo was glad he hadn't gotten closer.

Giving Rufus a concerned, wary look, Yazoo answered, "With Yuffie. She has an artist friend she wants me to meet…Why do you care?"

"Don't be rude!" Rufus snapped, and immediately glanced around for Yazoo's bulldozer of a bodyguard.

"He's waiting in the car," Yazoo said, knowing him well enough by now to know what he was looking for. "What's gotten into you, anyway? Since when are we friends?"

"Well, you _know_…" Rufus said, but shifted uncomfortably, clearly not having a viable reason. "I just wondered if anything new was going on in your life."

"I'm hardly likely to tell you," Yazoo reminded him, and looked at the dainty silver watch around his slim wrist. "Rufus, I have to go. Honestly, you're being very odd. First Reno chasing me down the hallway last night and now _you_ wanting to chat—what on earth is your father putting in the whiskey these days?"

Rufus flushed brick red at the mention of Reno and hastily retreated back into his suite without another word.

Yazoo shook his head, strands of his silver hair fluttering over his shoulder. With a sigh of bewilderment, he headed down the stairs and out to the waiting car.

**

* * *

**

"Hey, good job, dumb ass," Reno said, his voice fading in and out on the cell phone that Rufus was clutching so tightly in his hand. "Why don't you just _tell_ him what's going on, huh? Save me the trouble."

"Wow, that was close!" Rufus panted, holding the phone back up to his ear and wiping at his sweating brow with his other hand.

"What the fuck were you thinking, pal?" Reno demanded, the background noise so loud that Rufus very nearly couldn't hear him. "What was that all about?"

Rufus had no explanation for why he'd so suddenly dropped the phone from his ear and rushed out to talk to his wife—it had been impulse, maybe, to see if perhaps he would give an indication that anything had gone on with Reno last night.

"I don't know, I heard him walking down the stairs and I just…_panicked_!" he said.

"_Panicked_?" Reno echoed, sounding disgusted. "Rufus, if anybody in this has a right to _panic_, I think it's _me_, okay? Relax, man—you keep up acting all weird and Yazoo will know something is up. He was raised for fourteen years in Premier Jenova's house, yo—those people slit each other's throats over slaves, so being keen to trouble is part of his fucking makeup no matter how much mommy shielded him and daddy coddled him, got me?"

"Yeah, of course," Rufus said, paling to think of how close he'd come to fucking things up. "Guess my curiosity just got the better of me."

"You're so curious, why don't you just ask _me_?" Reno suggested, and the noise died down enough that Rufus could hear him lighting his cigarette.

"Would you tell me?" Rufus questioned, suspicious.

"No, it's none of your fucking business," Reno told him, and the line crackled again when he added, "You let me handle things, pal—don't go trying to get your digs in at Yazoo during all of this. Taking the part of wounded husband when _you're_ the one plotting to make him cheat is just kinda shitty, yo."

Rufus laughed a little, amused, finally calm from his near run-in.

"Reno, if I gave a damn about being a shitty human being then I would probably be at work right now," he said. "Now, what time does the game start?"

"I told you when you asked the first time, yo!" Reno snapped, aggravated. "Ten—I'll be there at nine and we'll go get drinks."

"Sounds good," Rufus said, relieved to have something to do tonight.

"Oh yeah, I told Cateyes that you were gonna be real busy, yo, so you better take a vacation or something," Reno said, and Rufus could clearly hear the rotors of some craft cranking up. "Give me some time to get this done."

"I'll do my best," Rufus said, and winced at the loud beeping of an instrument panel. "We hardly see each other anyway—he'll never know if I go anywhere or not."

"_Suit yourself, yo_!" Reno said, shouting to be heard over the whine of commotion. "_I gotta go, Rufus, trying out my new bird. See ya later_!"

Rufus hung up without answering, yawning a little and making his grumpy, hung-over way to where his late breakfast waited.

"Lunch," he pouted, lifting off the lid of a dish and wrinkling his nose at it. He replaced the lid with a sigh and decided to go back to bed until Reno showed up.

Fuck being a good person anyway.

* * *

**A/N:** From now on I think I will update on Mondays when I update the Soap on my Live Journal - it's just easier that way :D


	11. Episode 11

"Just wait until you see his paintings," Yuffie whispered, turning to grin at Yazoo as they made their way through a huge, breezy warehouse. "He's a _genius_!"

"I certainly hope his genius gives him some return," Yazoo said, rubbing his shoulders. It was cool outside as the seasons were starting to change, and the air blowing through the warehouse didn't help that. "This place is awful!"

"The part he paints in is all fixed up," the White Rose said, scooting down a narrow, built-in hallway to where the old offices had been. "He wants to fix it up all the way someday. I hope that happens for him, he's a real sweetie."

Yazoo smiled and followed at her heels as she swept open the door.

A loud shriek tore through the air, making _Yuffie_ shriek in response and making _Yazoo_ utter a little yip of surprise and stumble back into Rude. The massive man easily and smoothly caught him, slipping Yazoo behind his back in a movement so graceful it might have been a choreographed dance. Yazoo was a little bewildered to find himself so suddenly behind Rude's back, but was too startled by the screaming to move.

"_Yuffie_! You scared me half to death!" the man cried, his voice still rather high with nerves. He was wearing worn jeans and a tee shirt over which he'd tied a paint-splattered apron that had done nothing to save his wardrobe. He was a handsome man of average height with paint-speckled brown hair and an equally paint-speckled goat-tee and mustache. His hazel eyes—huge and unblinking with shock—flicked over Rude and he breathlessly squeaked, "_Who are these people?_ That one looks _dangerous_! Is he _dangerous_?"

"Yes," Rude told him, his voice low and clipped.

The man squeaked again, eyes huge.

"Reeve, this is Yazoo ShinRa…well, actually, _this_ is Rude, her kinda dangerous bodyguard, and Yazoo is behind him," Yuffie said, hand over her heart as she tried to catch her breath. "Could you please not scream like a total harpy next time? You nearly gave me a heart-attack! I'm too young for heart-attacks! My dad's supposed to die first!"

"Of course he is!" Reeve answered her, responding as if she'd just asked an idiot question. Looking very cross and flustered, he added, "Statistically speaking, Yuffie, you're less likely to have a heart attack than I am—so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't come busting in on me like some kind of mad cyclone!"

"Aw, _Reeve_!" Yuffie laughed, and flung her arms around him to give him a bone-crunching hug that left her smeared with paint. "You missed me, didn't you?"

"I haven't had the time!" the man said, and gave Rude another frightened, wary glance. "Are you sure he isn't dangerous?"

"I'm sure he _is_, but only to people who try to hurt Mrs. ShinRa," Yuffie giggled. "Come on, show her your paintings, I've been bragging about you!"

Yazoo slipped out from behind Rude, feeling rather silly now about it all. Rude allowed it but seemed unusually attentive to the situation, as if this slightly baffled and lost painter was some kind of threat to his charge.

"It's lovely to meet you," Yazoo said, offering his hand and glancing at the unfinished painting next to Reeve. "I've heard so much about your work, Sir."

The man blinked twice at him before gallantly taking his hand and bowing over it to plant a soft kiss, declaring, "The pleasure is surely all mine! Ah, Yuffie, shame on you! You bring guests and me in such a state!"

"You _are_ a little jumpy," Yuffie observed, and grinned that manic grin of hers that was rather growing on Yazoo. "By the way, Yazoo, this is Reeve Tuesti—soon to be famous painter!"

"But currently a starving artist," Reeve finished, dropping Yazoo's hand and blushing a little, though he smiled at the praise.

"So what's with the screaming?" Yuffie asked, and said to Yazoo, "He isn't normally so high-strung unless he's been hitting the coffee."

"My apologies," Reeve said, grimacing a little. "I've been working on a piece that just won't cooperate! I can't sleep or eat or anything, all I think about is this painting and what _isn't_ happening! I swear it's driving me crazy!"

"Well, you're already there," Yuffie assured him, and patted his cheek. "Show Yazoo and Rude your paintings!"

"Yes, very good, alright," Reeve mumbled, and led the way further into the cozy studio.

"He would be nicer if he knew who you were," Yuffie whispered, taking Yazoo's arm as they walked in Reeve's wake. "But Reeve doesn't get out much. He's new to Midgar and he hates all things civilized—television, magazines, and the news…which pretty much means he doesn't have a clue who either of us really are!"

"How long have you known him?" Yazoo asked, watching Reeve anxiously pace in front of several cloth-draped canvases, clearly trying to figure out which one he wanted to show off first.

"I met him a few years ago in Wutai where he was having a show," Yuffie said. "He was very fashionable for awhile, but Wutains are fickle—the money ran out and Reeve left town. He never knew I was the Emperor's daughter. I helped him out as much as I could and brought him here when I got settled."

Reeve fussed back and forth, agitated and torn with indecision while the ladies looked on.

"I hope to sponsor him here, but I need your help, Yazoo," Yuffie whispered. "I'll shell out, but I need you to support him, okay? Believe me, it's worth it…"

Reeve finally lost his temper and just yanked the cloth away.

Yazoo caught his breath, stunned by the beauty caught forever on a canvas that stretched over twelve feet high. He had never in his life seen art that brought him so near to tears, but _this_ did.

"It's home," he whispered, and moved forward without even being aware of it, tears glistening in his eyes. Lovingly, he took in the details, every last inch of the sizeable canvas. Here was the palace that Yazoo had grown up in, caught in moonlight and rendered in minute detail down to the cracks in the old walls and a spider spinning a web near the corner of the canvas. It was so amazingly life-like that it could have been a photograph, but there was a warmth and a sense of fantasy that no camera could ever produce—that was the work of human hands, of imagination and talent and an artist who fell in love with his subject, if only for the time it took to paint it faithfully. "Oh, Mr. Tuesti…it's perfect…"

"I wish it was, Mrs. ShinRa," Reeve said, nearly wriggling with delight at his reaction. "But believe me when I say that I fail to do that place of beauty justice—I think that nothing short of seeing her with one's own eyes can properly convey her majesty."

"It's spectacular," Yazoo breathed, and looked at him with jade eyes full of unshed tears. "This is my home, Mister Tuesti. Before I married Rufus ShinRa I was Yazoo Jenova."

Reeve's eyes widened and he sputtered a little before he simply bowed his head again and softly said, "My lady, I truly beg your pardon. I knew you were Cetran but not that you were of the very line which showed me such kindness!"

"Had I more contact with my family, Mister Tuesti, I would undoubtedly know of _you_ before this moment," Yazoo said, and smiled at him. "If you can bear to part with this painting, I would greatly love to purchase it."

He looked at it again and his smile deepened. How often had he looked at the palace from just this same perch, outside in the moonlight with his nurse and mother? Too many times to count, and he missed his homeland, missed the rich beauty of it from the forested hills to the lush valleys and unforgiving mountains. Compared to the land of the Cetra, Midgar was dried up and dead.

"So many memories," he murmured, and sighed. He felt Rude just behind him, as fascinated by the painting as he himself was.

"It is yours, my lady," Reeve told him, sharing Yazoo's homesickness for a moment. Once one went to their country, no other place felt like home. "For the child of the man who brought me into his home and treated me as a son, I can do no less."

"I propose a deal, Mister Tuesti," Yazoo said, drawing a shaking breath and getting himself in check. "You hold an exhibit with this painting as the centerpiece and let the show run for three weeks, and at the end of that time if you have three commissions, then this one belongs to me."

Reeve blinked at him solemnly and said, "I believe you have a deal, Mrs. ShinRa."

He lifted Yazoo's hand once more, kissed it lightly, and quietly backed away to let Yazoo once more gaze upon the place of his birth.

* * *

Reno was already gone when Kadaj woke up, but he smiled anyway—he could hardly remember the last time they'd gone to bed _together_, made love _together_, and had fallen asleep in each other's arms. He hoped it would remind Reno of what he was passing over when he was with other people who didn't matter. Why settle for mediocre when mind-blowing was already tucked into your warm bed?

Yawning, he got up and made the bed, smirking with satisfaction to find that he was still sore. Feeling magnanimous in his good mood, he stopped to play with the exotic birds, all of them atwitter in their various large cages, excited by the attention and the sunlight streaming down from above.

"It's a beautiful day," he told them, and poked a finger inside one of the cages to let the bird rub its beak against him. "I know things have been a little off, but I can promise you guys that if I do go, I'll make sure you're taken care of, okay?"

A knock on the door interrupted him, and he called for them to enter, expecting the cleaning staff.

Instead it was Neala, terrified out of her wits but wisely doing her job.

"Kadaj, there's a man here wants a job," she stammered. "I told him Mister Reno was gone but you made decisions for him. What should I do with him?"

Kadaj frowned, pondering. Reno did a lot of what he called _recruiting_—basically, he found somebody turning tricks and he made them join his family. Kadaj had a pretty good idea that if they didn't then they wound up stuffed in the darkest cracks below-plate or were sold out to the butchers for public rations. That was one thing, but very rarely did anyone approach Reno's establishment with a bid for honest work, let alone a grown man.

"Stick him in my office, I'll be there once I dress," Kadaj instructed, and hurried to go shower.

* * *

Marlene finished up the inventory on Yazoo's jewelry and closed the safe, spinning the dial securely before she left Yazoo's suite to head to the back door. Nothing was missing and all new pieces had been added, and Marlene fairly beamed with pleasure at her fantastic job.

Most girls just out of secretary school at the junior college couldn't hope to have the position Marlene currently held, and she was grateful every day that Yazoo was such a gracious lady. It had been serendipity that led Marlene to go to that book-reading at the public library, and pure fate that had caused someone to dump punch all over Mrs. ShinRa's beautiful white skirt. Marlene—her specialty leaning more towards Companion than filing and paperwork—had rushed to the rescue and saved both Yazoo's skirt and evening. The young and beautiful woman had immediately asked if Marlene would like to keep her company, and she had gratefully accepted. From there, the rest was history.

Being Yazoo's assistant brought in much-needed money for her family, but the larger return was that she was working with a true friend. She couldn't find anything more rewarding than seeing Yazoo in _FLASH!_ Magazine with an elegant hairdo that Marlene had done, wearing jewelry she had suggested or carrying a handbag she'd substituted. Yes, working for Mrs. ShinRa was well worth the hassle of dealing with her pig of a husband, that frightening lecher of a playboy, and the brainless twit otherwise known as Denzel.

"Marlene, what're you doing?"

Speak of the devil.

"_Working_," she snapped, brushing past him with her nose in the air. "Which is more than I can say for _you_!"

"Aw, that's not true! I'm working right now!" Denzel protested, chasing after her. "Mister ShinRa wanted me to see if his wife was around."

"Why, is he planning another party? I swear, I wish she'd never married that worthless man!" Marlene snapped, thinking of all the times that Yazoo had been a virtual prisoner in her room, unwilling to brave the strangers that Rufus had crawling all over the house.

"Hey!" Denzel cried, offended. "_She's_ the mean one! Just the other day she came busting in on his bath to scream at him! How's _that_ for poor little Mrs. ShinRa?"

"First of all, she does not _scream_!" Marlene said to him, pausing and rounding on him so suddenly that he nearly ran into her. "Second of all, she was upset because one of his skanky girlfriends was stealing jewelry from her that morning! And _thirdly_—" she leaned close with such an irate expression on her face that Denzel leaned away—"don't you _ever talk about her like that again_! She's an angel, it's _your_ boss who's the bastard!"

"Well…" Denzel said, mustering up his bravery. "I don't agree! I think _she's _the one with the problem!"

"She sure is!" Marlene unexpectedly agreed. "And it goes by the name of Rufus ShinRa! Now, leave me alone! She's gone for the rest of the night, for His Holy Inquisitiveness's information—Mister Reno will be bringing her home."

Denzel looked thoughtfully after her as she angrily stomped away.

"We're still friends, right?" he called, hopeful.

Marlene's only reply was, "Shut _up_, Denzel!"

* * *

Fresh from his shower and still feeling rather good about everything, Kadaj went to the office to find out just who on earth was wanting employment with Reno's outfit.

He opened the door a crack before he entered, taking a glimpse at the man within. He was rather surprised to see a young man, not the older man he'd thought of for some reason. He was compact and wiry, muscled, his skin a soft honey gold. His dark hair looked as if it was trying to escape his head, spreading out in wild black spikes and tumbling down his neck. He had a troubled look on his handsome face, a face marred by an X-shaped scar.

"Can I help you?" Kadaj asked, throwing open the door and striding inside. He didn't want to get nervous. Being nervous always made it harder for people to understand him. While his speech was nearly perfect after so long in Reno's country, he still retained an accent that he couldn't quite shake.

The man looked up at him with cobalt blue eyes and smiled a little, but it was somehow sad.

"I need work," he said, humble before Kadaj, who leaned against the desk and assessed him.

"We hire a certain service here, sir," Kadaj told him. "You don't seem to be looking to sell…"

The man blushed, a soft bloom of color on his fine cheekbones.

"I'm not looking to sell, no," he quietly answered. "I'm a carpenter, a handy man. I was hoping your boss could use me."

Kadaj cocked his head and told him, "Most of our employees are women, sir. They have many wonderful and varied talents, but fixing things is not among them—at least, the handful of women we have who can fix things are often otherwise occupied."

He considered the request, thinking about it. If he could give this man room and board, then he could tend to the various establishments and cut Reno's maintenance costs.

"What salary are you looking for, sir?"

The man started as if he hadn't expected such a question, and said, "I just got here from the country, I'm looking to make a new start…"

Kadaj frowned and said in his sharp, clipped voice, "I will give you a suite here, next to Reno's and my own—you eat in the kitchens and have free run of the place, but you answer whenever either of us calls and you _immediately_ attend to whatever issues that arise."

The man nodded, his black hair bouncing with the force of his agreement.

"One thing," Kadaj said, and cocked his head, appraising him. "Pussy or ass isn't free—it's one thing to take up with one of my darlings, but quite another to pressure them for sex. If you want it that bad and they say no, then it's _no_."

The man blushed again but he was earnest when he said, "I have no interest in forcing someone, and no money to pay for anything. They're safe with me."

Again, Kadaj frowned. There was a symmetry to this man, a whipcord litheness that suggested something other than benevolent handyman. In a soft voice, he asked, "Are you good with weapons, sir?"

There was a spark of panic in those big blue eyes but he gamely answered, "Yes."

Kadaj left it at that.

"Well, you're welcome here," he said, and smiled. "Come with me and I will show you your suite."

"Thank you," the man said, nearly weak with relief, his big smile changing him from someone melancholy and sad to someone vastly adorable.

"What is your name?" Kadaj asked, smiling in return.

"Zack," the man said, his smile widening. "Zack Fair."

"Welcome to Midgar, Mister Fair," Kadaj said, and led the way to his new room.


	12. Episode 12

Rudolf Doležal sat behind the wheel of his car in the darkness and contemplated things, wondering how he'd strayed so far from his purpose. Years before, he had come to this country with a sole mission in mind and had done surprisingly well. He'd walked into the ShinRa Headquarters, located Rufus ShinRa's office, informed his secretary that he had an appointment, and had led Rufus to believe that Yazoo's family had hired him. Rufus had, stupidly, given him an extra set of keys to his home and unhindered access to his wife without even questioning it. It had sealed the idea that Yazoo needed competent protection…especially from Rude.

He'd known that Rufus wouldn't check to see if he was telling the truth. His experience with the hopelessly trusting was varied and vast. His plan had gone flawlessly until he'd met Yazoo herself.

She'd been sitting in her sunlit breakfast nook, tucked into a chair and playing solitaire with her silver hair hanging down over her shoulders and a look of concentration on her pretty face. Rude had come to stand before her, ready to be finished with it and go…

And then she'd looked up at him and he'd hesitated.

Rudolf Doležal had never hesitated in his life. Not for begging, not for pleading, not for money or offers of position—but in the face of those huge green eyes he'd hesitated. Those eyes had held a kind of grieving sorrow that had paused him, something he'd not expected to see from a woman of privilege and money. Yet she sat in her room playing solitaire, alone and silent. _Isolated_.

"You're my bodyguard?" she'd asked, utterly naïve, her expression as hopeful as it was sad. She was lonely. She wanted someone to talk to and hoped he would stay.

Rude had _not_ gone through with his plan. Instead, he'd sat across from her and played cards, content to wait patiently until he could make an option appear.

His cell phone chirped and he glanced down at it, thumbing off the alarm. He made sure the volume was on high, just in case. She'd gone out with Reno this evening and it prickled at Rude's senses for some reason. Yazoo had also seemed uneasy, simply murmuring something about Reno being unlike himself. He thought she might call for a ride home, if things went wrong. Reno shared an ugly habit with Rufus of being cruel sometimes, of deliberately hurting Yazoo. Rude didn't understand how either of them could do so, not when she was so eager to please and gentle, but it seemed that they simply couldn't help themselves sometimes.

Rude hoped that would not be the case tonight. She'd seemed worried when he'd handed her into Reno's car, her delicate hand shaking in his and her eyelids fluttering nervously.

Rude put his cell phone in his breast pocket and straightened behind the wheel, tempted to drive to that restaurant and take her home regardless. He only hoped that she was as safe with Reno as she claimed.

Rude didn't trust him, himself. As one capable, dangerous man to another, he _respected_ him—but he wouldn't put anything past that sly-eyed man, and for years he'd kept careful dibs on his dealings to make sure that he wasn't planning on making Yazoo an addition to his line-up. Frankly, between Reno and Rufus, Rude wasn't sure which one was worse.

Not for the first time, Rude wondered if, finally, his control was slipping. He had the patience of a saint, but time was running thin after all of these years and he needed to finish this. The only problem was, now that he knew Yazoo so well and understood her circumstances, the only way he could finish it was with her consent.

And there was little chance of that.

Rude reached down and started his car, deciding to drive home and wait. Yes, he could go through with his plan this very night, he could do what he'd come to this country to do so many years before. But he was a patient man.

Perhaps there was time enough for things to change, for Yazoo to change.

* * *

Kadaj made his way back into the back portion of The Brink to where Zack was working. Being Reno's oldest establishment meant that it required more attention—the building was old, there was simply no help for it.

"How bad is the damage?" he called, seeing the man's dark, spiky head bent over his task.

Zack had tied a bandana around his forehead to keep the sweat out of his eyes and he had dirt streaked over one cheek, but his smile was sincere when he looked up at Kadaj.

"Not too bad," he said. "It rotted the floorboards some, but I can cut that section out and replace it."

"Not now," Kadaj told him, seeing him crawl out of the rotted floor where he'd been checking the joint of the pipes below. "You've been working on this since you got here. The leak is fixed, you should stop and rest. At least get something to eat. The Brink has an excellent menu."

Zack heaved up onto the solid floor and rolled lightly to his feet, grinning at Kadaj and saying, "Well, I'm not really dressed for this fancy place. I'll get something when I go back."

Kadaj leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and told him, "You think _this_ place is fancy, you should see his new restaurant. Hopefully it will bring in half of what it cost to build it."

"That big, huh?" Zack asked, gathering his tools and tossing them into a leather bag. "So, you like it in this country?"

Kadaj frowned a little, considering the question. "I think there are many opportunities to be had here, yes," he answered. "I love my job. What more is there to ask for?"

Zack laughed a little and said, "Oh, I don't know—friends, love, good memories, enjoyable moments. There's way more to things than just working."

"Mister Fair, I've been _working_ since I was six years old," Kadaj said, and Zack flinched. "The most a person can hope for is to be successful. And once they are, then no one can touch them anymore."

Zack looked troubled, and zipped his bag up, softly saying, "People shouldn't be treated like meat…I'm sorry that you were."

Kadaj waved it away, sighing, "It's all in the past now. I don't think of it. Come on, you need food and I need to check on the new restaurant. Let's go home so you can shower and I can check on things, and then we'll go."

The man stood, heaving the heavy leather bag back over one shoulder as if it weighed nothing at all, and said, "I can't, I'm sorry. I don't have any money—"

"I told you, you eat in the kitchens," Kadaj reminded. "That means _any_ of the kitchens, Mister Fair. And when you're with me you are my guest. Come on, we're wasting time."

Zack grinned at him again, blue eyes sparkling in the faint light, and obediently followed Kadaj when he turned and walked away.

* * *

Yazoo looked across the table at Reno, who seemed distant and distracted. For the last thirty minutes they'd sat in near silence, which was unusual for both of them. If anything, Reno was always entertaining and surprising, his humor borderline indecent but always present. Clearly something was weighing on his mind.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong or is this some kind of new game where I have to guess?" Yazoo sighed, smiling at him before taking a sip of his drink.

Reno shook himself a little and smiled at him, lighting another cigarette as he said, "Just wondering how this place is going over. Servers seem to be a little slow."

"Not really," Yazoo said, nibbling on the appetizer. "I think for a grand opening, this place is doing very well—the line stretched all the way around the block!"

"It's my staff," Reno told him. "Sent some kids with talent off to culinary school a few years ago—turned out to be a good idea."

Yazoo cocked his head and teased, "So you _don't_ make them all 'work' for a living?"

"No," Reno said, and grinned at him, taking another drag off of his smoke. "Half of them don't. A lot of them start out in that specialty but wind up doing something else. I don't mind—I got money enough for twenty people fifty times over. And there's always kids coming up needing family."

Yazoo had never thought of Reno's business in anything but the most abstract terms. Reno sold sex, and Yazoo was too much a lady to think of such things. Now, however, he realized that the majority of Reno's business was in entertainment, period. Restaurants, clubs, galleries, shops—and he employed those persons whom he found whoring beneath the plate. In a way it was…well, almost _humanitarian_.

"Don't tell me there's a soft heart beneath that bullet-proof vest," Yazoo finally said, giving him a sweet smile.

"Not a chance," Reno chuckled, but he seemed more relaxed, more like himself. Still, his blue eyes lingered on Yazoo with a kind of weighty assessment that made him shift a little, discomfited. He couldn't ever recall Reno looking at him with anything stronger than vague and friendly affection.

"You seem uncomfortable this evening," he said, trying to distract him and change the tone of that gaze. "We didn't have to have dinner tonight, if it's a bad time."

"Not a bad time, it's opening night," Reno reminded, stubbing out his cigarette. "There's reporters crawling everywhere and food critics stuffed in every corner. Having Yazoo ShinRa here can only help."

"Well," Yazoo said, trying not to feel vaguely offended. "I'm pleased I could help."

"Don't get all pissed off," Reno laughed, taking a drink from his glass. "We ain't hung out in awhile, I miss being scolded like a schoolboy."

"I don't scold!" Yazoo gasped, trying not to smile. He _did_ scold, and he was awful about it no matter how hard he tried not to be.

"You're such a prude," Reno laughed. "You shoulda been a nun, Cateyes."

"Oh, you're awful," Yazoo sighed, but it felt good to be back on normal terms.

"See?" Reno crowed, triumphant. "There you go again, _scolding_."

"Ya_zoo_!"

Reno started visibly at the shriek, glancing around in alarm and asking, "What the fuck was that?"

Yazoo waved at Genesis, blushing to be called out in the middle of a restaurant. People were staring anyway, thanks to Reno, but now _everyone_ was staring. Looking at the man coming towards him, Yazoo could see why. Genesis's wardrobe tended to be eclectic, and his eveningwear was no different.

"_Darling_, it is so _fabulous _ to see you!" Genesis declared, coming up to their private table and bending low to trade cheek-kisses with Yazoo.

"Genesis, you look…" Yazoo trailed off and finished with a soft, impressed laugh, "Well, words escape me."

"I tend to have that affect on people," Genesis gloated. He glanced over at Reno, made a face, and waved his hand dismissively in his direction, utterly ignoring him. "Dearest, _I_ heard it through the grapevine that _you_ met the painter Reeve Tuesti!"

"Yes, that's right, he's quite talented," Yazoo said, and caught Reno's glower from across the table. "Would you like to sit down?"

"No, can't, my love," Genesis said, and glanced back over his shoulder to wave at someone. "I'm on a date. Absolutely _mouthwatering_ young actor—it's amazing what they'll do to get a role!"

"Genesis!" Yazoo softly said, scandalized. "Isn't that a little unethical?"

"Oh piffle," Genesis said. "Ethics are for lawyers!"

Yazoo laughed and said, "Well, at least let me introduce you—"

"We've met," Genesis said, his tone short and clipped. "My sweet little Cetran Swan I simply _must_ run, but you _will _give me a call tomorrow and tell me _everything_, won't you? There's a dear! Ta ta!"

"Goodbye," Yazoo said, burbling with soft laughter. When he looked over at Reno he saw that the man was still glowering, his blue eyes following Genesis. Softly, he murmured, "So…you two know one another, then?"

"In a manner of speaking," Reno abruptly answered, his eyes swiveling back to Yazoo's and resting there again with that same weighty assessment.

"I didn't think he was your type," Yazoo whispered, teasing but serious all the same. He was curious. Genesis was his friend and Reno was a part of his household—if there was some kind of friction there then he wanted to know about it.

"And what's my type, Cateyes?" Reno asked, and took a deep swallow of his drink, all playfulness suddenly gone.

Yazoo had only been kidding—he knew that Reno was straight—and Reno's abrupt shift to irritation hurt his feelings a little. He wasn't looking for a fight, for confrontation. He wanted to have a nice dinner and a pleasant evening.

"_Female_," he answered, subdued, and watched Reno to see if he would get irate.

The man just smiled at him with wry humor and tipped his glass up, repeating, "In a manner of speaking…Sufficed to say, Genesis and I have crossed paths a time or two and we both still got the scars. Fair enough?"

"He's my friend," Yazoo gently told him, not wanting to push the issue but unwilling to let it drop without resolution.

"So am I," Reno informed him. "You're right, he's totally not my type."

"Is Elena?" Yazoo asked, teasing again because Reno wasn't angry. "She asks about you constantly, it's starting to wear on my nerves."

"Delicate," Reno called him, but his smile was playful again. "No, she don't really cut it for me, either. She's just a bit obsessive."

"Well, obsessive or not, she seems to be _here_," Yazoo murmured, spying Elena at a table with some friends. "And she seems to be glaring this way."

"Fuck," Reno said, sighing. "She isn't coming over here, is she?"

"No, but she probably will," Yazoo said. "We _are_ friends."

"Crazy Rhapsodos and Stuck-Up Bitch Elena," Reno sighed, shaking his head so that his shaggy hair spilled into his face. "You need better friends."

Yazoo softly laughed, and shifted over as the food arrived, saying, "I'm lucky to have any friends at all!"

* * *

Kadaj couldn't have been more pleased to see the lines formed outside of the new restaurant. He had the driver drop them off at the door and made his way inside, straight to the kitchens with Zack on his heels.

"Kadaj! Oh, _wow_, did you see that crowd?!"

He smiled in response to the gasped question and assured the _sous_ chef that he was positive they all could handle it.

"I just wanted to make sure that you had everything you needed to make this evening go well," he said, his critical eyes scanning the kitchen for flaws or potential fuck-ups.

"We have everything, yes," she responded, and hurried away to assist the shouting head chef.

Kadaj gestured Zack closer and left the kitchens, heading back out to commandeer a table for them. He made every single one of Reno's establishments retain five tables, five rooms, five of _anything_ they offered—he never knew when one of the man's business contacts would show up needing to be entertained.

In short order they were shown to their table, and on the way Kadaj just happened to glance up at the area which housed the private tables.

He saw Mrs. ShinRa, smiling and aglow, looking dainty and perfect in her smart little dress and upswept hairdo. She was giggling, and that made Kadaj automatically glance towards the person she was dining with.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Reno.

His lover had assured him that he couldn't make the grand opening tonight and had spent a concentrated amount of time convincing Kadaj not to go either because, as he'd put it, if they couldn't go together he didn't want either of them to go at all. Only once Kadaj had told him that he'd be too busy to go had Reno finally dropped the subject.

Yet, here he was.

With _Mrs-fucking-_ShinRa!

Kadaj cursed fluidly in his native tongue, his hand falling unconsciously to his side to grip his _souba_. It was one thing to know on a certain level that Reno was never faithful to him, and quite another to be slapped in the face with it, especially when the other person was someone as pretty and loveable as Yazoo.

"Kadaj?" Zack questioned, alarmed by the fury on his face.

"That son of a bitch!" Kadaj spat, and knew that Zack probably hadn't understood a single syllable of it, his temper was so high.

With a determined look of absolute rage on his pretty face, Kadaj strode straight towards Reno's table.


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh, look! There's your bodyguard!" Yazoo said, his green eyes wide. "My, he looks put out, Reno."

Reno, whose entire world had just narrowed to the naïve and softly spoken sentence, '_Oh, look! There's your bodyguard,'_ had a little trouble with the follow up, but he got the gist when he looked across the huge space and saw Kadaj coming at him with the same deadly intensity of an enraged bull. It was almost amusing how scary the boy could be, but now wasn't really the time.

"Yeah, hey, hang on a sec, Cateyes," Reno said to Yazoo, getting up and tossing his napkin on the table. "I'll be right back."

"No, bring him," Yazoo pleaded, dabbing at his pouty mouth and licking his lips, utterly unaware of himself. "I haven't spoken to another Cetran in ages! Where is he from? The capital? He has the look of a northerner, like me."

"Some other time, okay?" Reno soothed him, and he sure as fuck didn't mean that. The last thing in the world he wanted was for Yazoo and Kadaj to get within detail-distance. "I brought _you_ out for dinner, remember? No tack-ons."

Yazoo giggled a little and flicked his eyes to where Genesis was holding noisy court. "Okay, you win. No tack-ons."

Reno met him just in time to intercept Kadaj before he got too close and halted him by grabbing his slender shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" the boy hissed, furious. There was a man behind him whom Reno didn't recognize, some guy with spiky black hair and concerned blue eyes.

"Who the fuck is he?" Reno asked, momentarily side-tracked.

"_Fuck you_!" Kadaj eloquently suggested, gritting his teeth but making a concerted effort not to raise his voice and give Reno's restaurant a bad name. "You lied to me so you could have a _date_ with your best friend's _wife_?"

"Hey, you watch your mouth," Reno told him, ignoring the stranger for now. "I needed a chick around for the opening, Kadaj."

"_You said you couldn't come_!" the boy reminded, his venomous green eyes shooting sparks. "You practically begged _me_ not to come! Is _this_ why? You didn't want me to see you with that…that _slut_?!"

"I told you to watch your fucking mouth!" Reno snarled, leaning close to keep their conversation nominally quiet. "You don't say shit like that about her, okay? She's worth ten of you, you little fuck, and she never did nothing to deserve being talked about like that!"

"Oh _really_?" Kadaj asked, and got that cold, scary smile on his face that never boded well. In his own language, he icily asked, "Worth ten of me, is she? Is that what you say about _every_ woman who betrays her husband with his very best friend?"

"Hey, Rufus ain't no saint himself," Reno said, calming down a little now that they'd switched to Kadaj's native tongue. Midgarians couldn't be bothered to learn another language, so they could say what they liked. "Get your claws into something that'll fight back, Cateyes—not Yazoo. She's soft, she ain't lived like you."

"But she's worth more," Kadaj purred, reminding him of what he'd just said.

"Well…that wasn't exactly what I meant," Reno told him. "You just hit the wrong button."

"To hell with your fucking _buttons_," Kadaj spat, and looked away from him to glare at Yazoo, who was looking at him with curiosity mixed with a generous amount of alarm. Very slowly, very deliberately, he said one word. She was too far away from him to hear him, but she read his lips and shrank back, looking horrified and ashamed.

Reno gave his wrist a hard squeeze and growled, "What did I just fucking tell you? _Not __Yazoo_."

Kadaj jerked his wrist away hard enough that he had to take a step backwards to avoid falling. When he did, he stepped right back into Zack, who steadied him with gentle hands.

"Now, who's this guy?" Reno demanded, reminded of the man when he moved.

"None of your fucking business," Kadaj said, and twisted to walk away, his arm around the man's waist.

"Kadaj!" Reno called, and glowered at him when the boy shot him a triumphant look over his shoulder. "You'd better be in bed when I get home."

Kadaj smirked and said, "We'll see whose bed I'm in tonight."

"I mean it," Reno warned, hands on hips. He couldn't do shit about what was happening—not with Yazoo waiting for him and a whole restaurant surreptitiously watching.

"So do _I_," Kadaj said, and strutted off with that bewildered man's arm around his slender waist.

* * *

Elena saw Kadaj sashay off with that handsome stranger and a heartbeat later she was on her feet. Before Reno could even register that she was coming, she slid up next to him and looped her arm around his waist, pressing against his side and teasing, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Shut up," Reno told her, his temper short and his look thunderous as his blue eyes watched Kadaj leave.

"He's a handsome fellow," Elena remarked, just casually tossing some salt on the wound. She took advantage of his distraction to fit herself tightly to him, snuggling against the lean length of his side. "Wonder what that boy has been up to…"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Reno asked, looking down at her. He didn't push her away, they were too public for that, but he didn't encourage her either. "You wanting a smacked mouth or something?"

"My my, _you're_ in a bad mood," Elena laughed, not put off in the least. She looked back and waved at Yazoo, who just weakly returned the wave and immediately dropped her head like she'd been scolded. "I thought you'd be happier, seeing as you're on a date and all."

"Where's all this interest in my personal life coming from?" Reno wondered, aggravated. "First the brat shows up bitching and now _you_. Ain't I a lucky guy?"

"Could be luckier," Elena purred, giving him a sultry smile.

"No thanks, I don't fuck whores," Reno said, and stepped away towards his table. "Get back to your dinner, Laney."

"Good thing Rufus doesn't mind, huh?" she asked, and her voice was just loud enough that he turned in alarm, coming back to shush her.

"What're you on?" he whispered harshly, glancing around to see if anyone had marked the odd sentence.

"Nothing," Elena said, smug. "Just that he told me about it—your affair with his wife. Said he didn't care, so long as _he_ didn't have to fuck her."

Reno's eyes narrowed and he gave her a hard shake, hissing into her ear, "You wanna keep living in that mansion with servants at your beck and call then I suggest you use your mouth for what it's good for and leave conversation to the grown-ups, you little bitch. Word travels, Elena, and if I catch wind of you spreading talk I swear to _god_ the best thing you can hope for is being sold to the butchers below the plate, we clear?"

Scowling, Elena jerked away and angrily said, "It isn't like it's a _secret_, Reno! The general public thinks you two have been having an affair for _years_!"

"You do as I fucking tell you," he told her, and gave her a shove towards her table. "Now get gone, and don't bug me again."

Practically boiling over with anger, Elena gave him one last, fierce look and did as he told her.

* * *

Tseng watched the drama unfold from his cozy private booth in the upper corner of the restaurant. He'd been intrigued when Reno had arrived with the lovely Mrs. ShinRa on his arm, apparently unconcerned that he was only feeding the rumor that they were lovers. Tseng wondered if they were—she was a lovely woman, and certainly enough to tempt any man, even one of Reno's peculiar tastes. She didn't behave like a woman smitten, though, and he took the opportunity to watch her. He'd never had a chance to see her in the flesh and relished the fact that he could look on with impunity, with no one aware of his presence.

She was a jewel on par with Kadaj—every movement was made with that languid, seductive grace that so defined the Jenova line. Her dainty, ring-laden hands gestured just enough to emphasize her words and, occasionally, artfully tucked back a stray coil of silky silver hair that persisted in falling over to tickle her shoulder. He found her more interesting because she utterly lacked the hard, frosty suspicion inherent in every Jenova that Tseng had ever dealt with. He wondered how she could have lived in that household for fourteen years and emerge so…_vulnerable_.

He finished his dinner and was lingering over his drink when he spied Kadaj making his way through the large, multi-tiered restaurant, as eye-catching in the crowd as a prince among pigs. He leaned forward to watch the sway of the boy's hips, the slight jostling of the _souba_ only enhancing his strut. Tseng didn't even see the man walking with him, he was entirely focused on Kadaj. When the boy stopped, Tseng smiled.

Nothing could have helped his cause more than what unfolded before his satisfied eyes—Kadaj finding Reno blatantly flaunting his mistress in public. He even chuckled to see his business partner so caught-out, amused by their argument. It was only once Kadaj left with a stranger's arm around his waist that Tseng abruptly lost his sense of humor. His dark, jealous eyes watched the boy briskly walk away to be seated, attached to another man's side as if they were glued together.

Calmly, he concentrated on finishing his drink, but his hand shook a little when it lifted his glass, and the alcohol did nothing to soothe his sudden, dark anger.

Whoever he was, that man would simply have to go…

* * *

Yazoo was still reeling from that venomous, vicious slur on his honor which that boy—because he _was_ just a boy, he'd seen—had so deliberately inflicted. That single word had only been spoken in his presence one time before, and his mother had explained to him that it was the definition of the worst kind of woman, a woman with no integrity, no value, no respect. In the country of the Cetra love of all kinds was celebrated and encouraged, but one's family always meant more than one's personal pleasures. For a Cetran, a person who deliberately slept with another without any regard for their family's welfare or wishes was reviled as a creature with no honor whatsoever. _That_ was what that boy had called him, an opportunist flouting familial responsibilities. There was no greater insult than that.

He forced himself to look up when Reno slid back into his seat, sitting back with a heavy sigh and asking with a hangdog expression, "You gonna get mad at me, too?"

"What?" Yazoo asked, smiling a little. "No, of course not. Why would I?"

"Just that everyone else is," Reno muttered. He picked up his fork but tossed it down, asking, "You still eating?"

"No, go ahead," Yazoo told him, knowing he wanted a cigarette. "I'm not hungry. I eat light in the evenings anyway."

"Yeah, you look like it," Reno commented, lighting his smoke and sighing with bliss, his eyes closing briefly. "He upset you?"

"A little," Yazoo admitted, pushing at his food with his fork, not interested in it despite how delicious it was. After a long silence, he asked, "Why would he say such a thing? He doesn't even know me."

"He's making assumptions, like the rest of Midgar," Reno said, significantly more calm once he had some nicotine in him.

"I had hoped…" Yazoo trailed off, still shocked and offended and deeply shamed. "I had just hoped that maybe he would want to know me, since we're both Cetran and there are only a handful of us in your country."

"You getting lonely?" Reno asked, tapping his ashes into his plate.

"I just miss home," Yazoo said, thinking of that painting and yearning for his family. He gave Reno a troubled, unsure look and asked, "Does the world really think that I would be such a person?"

Reno laughed a little and asked, "What? Does it bother you that bad, people thinking we're a thing? Cateyes, ever since you married Rufus the rumor mill has had a heyday about you and me—it's old hat, baby, don't worry so much about it. And don't let him get to you, okay? He takes his guarding duties a little too seriously sometimes."

"He certainly did seem offended that you were with me," Yazoo murmured. Trying to lighten his own spirits, he teased, "Perhaps I'm not the only one who needs new friends?"

Reno chuckled and winked at him.

"I wouldn't trade you for ten of him, Cateyes."

"Excuse me."

Yazoo started, taken by surprise to find a man standing right next to their table. He hadn't even heard the man approach!

"Tseng, hey!" Reno said, standing up to shake his hand. "You should've let me know you were coming tonight, I would've reserved you a seat!"

"I was seated without trouble," the man assured him, and turned to bow gracefully to Yazoo. "And is this the lovely Mrs. ShinRa?"

"Yazoo, this is Tseng Si Ming," Reno said, sitting back down and scooting over a bit to make room. "Tseng, this is Yazoo."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Yazoo said, not at all sure that he was. The pale Wutain man prickled at his senses even more than Reno sometimes did—he was dangerous, it was written in every nuance of his graceful movements and in the depths of his dark eyes. Despite the charming way in which he took Yazoo's hand and softly kissed it, there was an air of cruelty about him that made Yazoo afraid.

"I have heard much about you, Mrs. ShinRa," Tseng smoothly said, gently releasing his hand. "But no tale of your beauty has done you justice."

Yazoo blushed, never one to be comfortable with his own appearance.

"And modest as well," Tseng murmured, amused.

"Have a seat, we were just about to get some dessert," Reno said.

"I respectfully decline," Tseng said, but his dark eyes never stopped scanning Yazoo, taking in the details of his person, cataloguing him like a specimen in a lab. "I just wanted to wish you a very good evening and infringe upon your privacy in order to become acquainted with the renowned and beloved Cetran Swan."

"You are too kind," Yazoo breathed, dropping his gaze to his plate so that he wouldn't be so aware of being watched. Never in his life had he been so thoroughly _examined_, beheld with such scrutiny—it was as if the man was trying to pry his secret out of his very skin, as if some stray strand of hair or some errant fold of his gown would betray to him Yazoo's most closely guarded self.

"Reno, I have no wish to further violate your hospitality, but I would greatly enjoy an evening of your company while I am still here in your beloved Midgar."

"Sure thing, yo," Reno said, relaxed and easy in his presence, even if Yazoo was not. "You got my number, just give me a call."

"I will do so," Tseng said, and delivered another slight, respectful bow. "Goodnight to you both."

"Goodnight," Yazoo said, smiling at him even if he didn't quite look all the way up.

"See ya," Reno said, giving him a wave. Once Tseng was gone, the man cocked his head and asked, "You okay, Cateyes? You look a little done in."

"Do you think you could take me home?" Yazoo asked, overwhelmed by too many bad experiences all at once. Reno was right, he _was_ delicate, but he'd been carefully molded by his family to be so, and he had no basis for change.

"Sure thing," Reno said, and smashed out his cigarette. "Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14

"That son of a bitch!" Kadaj hissed again, fuming over his dinner.

Zack, who was putting everything in sight away with gusto, didn't pause his eating to reply—Kadaj had been snarling various insults for the last half an hour, he didn't need a response.

"I cannot _believe_ him!" Kadaj fumed, and drained his wineglass. Zack had been a little hesitant about ordering him wine, but the staff seemed to know to bring it and ignored his protests at any rate. "How dare he!"

"So…what'd he do?" Zack finally asked, full enough to consider conversation.

Kadaj gave him a withering look, seriously not amused.

"What?" Zack questioned. "Just looked like he was having dinner—that's not a crime."

"He is having dinner with his _mistress_!" Kadaj informed him.

Zack blinked twice and said, "I didn't know people still used that word…I also didn't know that Reno was married."

"He's not!"

"Don't you have to be married to have a mistress?"

"Stop being obtuse!" Kadaj snapped. "Reno is my lover and he is sleeping with his best friend's wife!"

Zack's eyes rounded a little and in a soft voice he said, "_Oooohhhh_."

Kadaj refilled his glass.

"But you're having dinner with _me_," Zack reminded.

Kadaj glared at him and tightly said, "That's. _Different_."

Zack nodded, and said, "Yeah, you're right—I'm not your mistress. I don't look good in dresses and you probably couldn't keep me in the style to which I intend to become accustomed."

Kadaj's mouth turned up in a small, unwilling smile.

"Besides, I'm total rubbish at being graceful and polite, so I'd make a pretty crap mistress."

"Shut up!" Kadaj said, and started to laugh. "You're making me not angry anymore, now stop!"

"What, you _want_ to be angry?" Zack asked, grinning before he took another big bite of his dinner and swallowed it with a satisfied sigh. "Why would you want to be angry when there's so much to be happy about?"

Kadaj cocked his head and gave him a disparaging look.

"Oh, come _on_!" Zack chided. "So what if he's out with some chick, so what if he's got a million lovers out there—_you're_ the special one, right? So act like it."

"What do you mean?" Kadaj asked.

"I mean, next time he comes home, don't be there," Zack suggested. "Next time he needs something, refer him to one of his other 'special' friends. He'll smarten up when he realizes that things just don't work right without you."

Kadaj mulled that over, frowning softly.

"By the way," Zack said, drawing his attention again. "I'm glad you're back to normal-sounding talk—whatever it was you were yapping back there was incomprehensible."

Kadaj smiled a little, having completely forgotten that the majority of his conversation with Reno had been in his native tongue.

"What, you don't speak my language?" he teased, laughing when Zack tried to lick off a bit of sauce from his cheek and only ended up making an ass of himself.

"Nope," the man replied, going after it with his napkin to salvage what was left of his dignity. "I'm from the country, kid—we're lucky we know our _own_ language."

"You hardly seem like an idiot country bumpkin," Kadaj informed him, still smiling.

Zack winked at him and said, "That's 'cause I'm _not_," before tucking back into his dinner.

* * *

Rufus was being an ass, and that was fairly usual. What was _un_usual, however, was that he was _aware_ that he was being an ass and he didn't quite know how to deal with that information…or, in fact, what was compelling him to be such in the first place.

Denzel had returned to tell him that Yazoo had gone out with Reno, and Rufus had nearly drowned in his own glee…and his own whiskey. Without further ado, he'd ordered his car around, sneaked past his usual muscle to escape unfettered, and had dragged Denzel with him on a "reconnaissance" mission.

And now here he was, straining on his tiptoes to see through a window of Reno's newest restaurant, dressed like a reject from a clown convention in a desperate attempt to disguise himself.

"See anything?" Denzel inquired, steadying him. They were at the front but somewhat sheltered behind some frond-palms potted in a huge stone outcrop. No one was paying them any attention at any rate. This was Midgar—weird shit just didn't cut it as weird anymore, it was just _normal_.

"A bunch of people eating," Rufus said, wobbling drunkenly and wishing he hadn't gotten so sloshed before he left. "Shit, this place is big! I can hardly see anybody!"

"_Rufus_?"

Denzel and Rufus both jumped guiltily when someone called his name, and Rufus toppled backwards to catch his feet at the last possible second, swaying a little.

Yuffie was on the sidewalk behind them, dressed in what must pass for evening-wear in Nutjob Delinquent Slutsville. She looked like a hideous mixture of Madame Butterfly and a fetish model, and Rufus hardly even noticed because he was in The Serious Trouble and he _knew_ it.

"Yazoo said that you were out of town," she said, not even sparing a glance for Denzel, who tried to pretend he was a frond-palm. Rufus ungenerously thought that he wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"Yes!" he blurted, fairly caught-out.

Yuffie frowned and asked, "What?"

"Yes?" he repeated, his voice high with nerves and borderline squeaky.

"Yes, you're out of town?" Yuffie asked him, crossing her arms over her chest, her suspicious gaze flicking over him. "You _do_ know that you're still in Midgar, right?"

"Of _course_!" he said, offended out of his defensiveness. He drew himself up to his full height and looked down his nose at her. "I know precisely where I am, thank you very much!"

"Which is outside of Reno's new restaurant…where he just happens to be treating Yazoo to dinner, because you're _out of town_," Yuffie supplied, nodding a little.

"Is he?" Rufus asked, feigning ignorance. "How interesting. I was just passing by and I saw this place and I wondered what it looked like inside so I had a peek."

"Where were you going?" Yuffie asked, looking even more suspicious.

"To a meeting," he told her, and did the whole 'look down his nose' thing again because it was pretty good for intimidating people.

One of Yuffie's elegantly shaped eyebrows lifted as she eyed his outfit.

Flushing, Rufus explained, "Since I walked, I figured I'd best go incognito."

"As a _hobo_?" she asked, now just perplexed and possibly a little worried. "Are you spying on your wife?"

"No!" Rufus cried, and his voice was back to panicked. "Why would I?"

"That's what I was going to ask _you_," she said, and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, how much have you had to drink, Rufus?"

"Listen here, Pippi Tornstockings, _I don't owe you any explanations_!" Rufus informed her, suddenly remembering that he, indeed, did not owe her any such thing. "And I would like to take the time to say that your outfit is visually offensive. Quite painful, actually."

"Likewise," she countered, and said to Denzel, "Oh stop pretending you're a plant! I have eyes, you know!"

"Couldn't tell by your clothes," Rufus sniggered.

"_Lay off my fucking clothes, you twat_!" Yuffie snapped. To Denzel, she said, "Get his drunk ass home before I tell his wife he's out here."

"Right away, Ma'am!" Denzel squeaked.

"Great," Rufus grumbled, watching Yuffie strut off in her awful outfit as Denzel forcibly pushed him into the car. "Now we _both_ sound like mice on helium. Just _great_."

"Oh, _shut up_, sir!" Denzel suggested, and slammed the car door in an unusual show of temper.

* * *

Yazoo was grateful that spring was still only on its way—the crisp, cool evening air soothed his head as Reno helped him into the car. Almost weak with relief to be going home, he lay gracefully against the seat, his head pressed to the tinted window and one hand idly holding onto his wrap.

"You gonna be okay, Cateyes?" Reno asked, sliding in next to him. His bodyguard closed the door and the car shifted as the large man got into the passenger seat next to the equally large driver.

"Yes, I just need to lie down for awhile," Yazoo whispered, subdued. He'd so wanted to have a nice evening, to do something pleasant with someone who was very much like a friend. But the evening had seemed doomed from the start, Reno's weird behavior and all.

The car purred to life and they pulled away from the crowded restaurant into the heavy traffic.

Yazoo closed his eyes a little, the sway of the car lulling him along with the cool glass against his forehead. After twenty minutes of a slow crawl, they left the heavily-populated area of the city behind and moved on to less maintained roads. When the car hit a rut in the street, Yazoo felt heat rush to his cheeks.

The jostle of the car had managed to put the side of Reno's lax hand up against the curve of Yazoo's bottom, which had been primed for such an accident by the way he was sitting—legs crossed and body partially turned to the car door.

Reno didn't seem to notice or care, and Yazoo wasn't sure he should mention it…but he also wasn't sure he could continue to blush with such intensity without risking a permanently pink face.

They hit another rut and the brief contact ended, leaving Yazoo feeling silly and hysterical—honestly, panicking over an accidental touch!

He laughed a little, ashamed of himself.

"What're you giggling about?" Reno inquired, lowering the window a bit and lighting a cigarette, both hands far from Yazoo's vulnerable backside.

"Nothing, I'm just…_silly_ sometimes," Yazoo breathed, and stifled his laughter into stopping. "Oh, my…what an evening."

"Yeah, sorry about all the friction," Reno said, blowing out smoke with his words. "Next time I take you out, it'll be someplace less visible—no interruptions."

For some reason, Yazoo felt himself blushing again, and turned his attention back to the passing scenery, though he didn't see any of it. He wasn't exactly sure _why_ his cheeks were hot or his heart was thudding, but it was distracting and just a little alarming. Eyes wide with confusion, Yazoo tried to put a little distance between himself and the warmth of Reno's body next to him.

"How long is Rufus gone for?" Reno asked, making conversation.

"I'm not sure," Yazoo said, breathing a sigh of relief to be on normal ground again. "He didn't really say, actually. He just sent word through his secretary that he was leaving this evening. It's probably an extended tour of the Old Countries, he tends to write his vacations off as business expenses."

"Of course he does," Reno chuckled, twirling the end of his cigarette so that the cherry flew out. Meditatively, he pinched the burnt end of the spent filter and stuffed it into the car's ashtray. "You miss him when he's gone?"

Yazoo shrugged a little, asking, "What's to miss? We rarely see one another…Reno, you know he doesn't like me."

"Yeah," Reno sighed, looking at him with another long, weighty stare. "He don't know what he's missing…"

Luckily, Yazoo was spared a reply as the car pulled up into the ShinRa estates gate and took the circular drive up to the house that belonged to Rufus and Yazoo.

Reno got out before either of his guards could and came around to help Yazoo out, telling the men to sit tight while he escorted Mrs. ShinRa inside.

"You don't have to see me in," Yazoo protested, feeling a little nervous of him for some reason.

"I wouldn't dream of dumping you at the door like some second-rate tramp," Reno teased, taking Yazoo's arm as they skimmed up the stairs. It was a gesture of habit and one that Yazoo expected any well-bred man at his home to offer. After nine long years of Yazoo's genteel influence, Reno was finally accustomed to the manners he'd purchased once upon a time.

"Well…I appreciate that I'm a _first_ rate tramp, at least," Yazoo laughed, and he hoped it didn't sound as nervous as he suddenly felt. Despite the fact that Reno was a trusted friend, Yazoo couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off about this whole evening, and the longer he was with Reno the stronger the feeling got.

"You're always first rate in my book, Cateyes," Reno told him, and winked as he threw open the front door.

"Well, thank you for taking care of me while Rufus is gone," Yazoo said, pausing just inside and taking his hand off of Reno's arm. He clutched his small purse with both hands and for the first time in his life his manners failed him—he simply didn't know what to do.

"You're welcome," Reno said, and reached up to sweep that stray coil of silver hair back behind Yazoo's ear, laughing when the man started and blushed. "What's got into you, Cateyes? You know I don't bite!"

"I'm sorry, you just startled me," Yazoo said, a little breathless. He felt silly and awkward and hopelessly out of his element.

Reno laughed again and sighed, chucking him under the chin as he had when Yazoo was a fourteen year old newlywed. "Since tonight was such a bust, how 'bout I take you with me somewhere tomorrow?"

Yazoo couldn't have stammered a reply at the moment if he'd had the sense to—he was too busy trying to unravel just what was going on here.

"I'll come by around eleven, okay? Can you keep your schedule open?" the man asked.

Yazoo nodded, and weakly asked, "What should I wear?"

Reno laughed at that and murmured, "Such a girl, _what should I wear_…ha! Wear something comfortable, nobody will bug us where we're going."

"Alright, that sounds intriguing," Yazoo managed, getting ahold of himself. He gave Reno a warm smile and said with genuine sincerity, "Thank you, Reno. What would've happened to me without you?"

"Good thing we'll never have to know," Reno said, giving Yazoo his big, charming grin. With another wink, he turned from the door, adding, "You rest those delicate nerves of yours, Cateyes. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," Yazoo said, and closed the front door.


	15. Chapter 15

"How on earth do you stay so thin?" Kadaj asked, amazed by the amount of food that Zack had eaten.

The carpenter just shrugged a little and said, "Guess I just work it off!"

Kadaj smiled at his wide, white grin, figuring that Zack probably hadn't meant what his statement had brought to mind.

"Look at you, though—how are you even _alive_?" Zack inquired, indicating Kadaj's untouched plate. "You eat like that all the time?"

"I don't usually have time for formal meals," Kadaj told him, finishing his wine and casting another glance over the restaurant.

"He left already," Zack told him, that concerned look on his face.

"Oh."

"You wanna go?" the man asked. "I'm finished, I swear…unless there's an ice-cream parlor along the way, then I probably got room for a scoop or two."

Kadaj laughed a little and looked at him while Zack gave the room another appreciative glance. It wouldn't be so hard, he supposed…unless Zack was a dedicated heterosexual, which had rather lost its place as the standard these days since the Cetran nation had gained such power. Still, he _was_ from the country, so he might be a little more traditional, but Kadaj wouldn't let something like that stop him, and he was appealing enough to temp saints, as he well knew. The only way to find out was to try.

"Let's just go home," Kadaj suggested, fully planning to follow Zack's advice and his own warning to Reno—they certainly _would_ see whose bed Kadaj was in tonight…

* * *

"_Genesis_!" Yuffie screeched, barreling across the restaurant.

"Oh, darling!" Genesis cried, standing as he was sniffling and summoning up some lovely tears. "You arrived just in time! Oh, dearest, I'm _heartbroken_!"

Yuffie reached him and they embraced, which caused her to bap one of the other diners in the back of his head with her huge, vinyl purse. "Sorry, pal!"

Genesis ignored it and they both sat down so he could compose himself properly into a state of beautiful anguish.

"What happened? I got your call and came as quick as I could!" Yuffie told him, and gestured at her outfit. "Straight from a sex-toy party, too! You sounded _awful_!"

"Oh, Yuffie," Genesis whimpered, and dabbed at his eyes, carefully keeping his eye-liner in place. "I'm…_OLD_!"

"What?" Yuffie asked, taken aback. She hadn't really expected a mid-life crisis, more something along the lines of 'I want to toss myself into traffic' or very like.

Genesis sniffled and whispered, "I got…_rejected_!"

"_What_?! Who would dare?" she demanded, aghast.

"Oh, some little actor wanting to be an understudy in _Loveless_—_which_, by the way, _you_ need to go to rehearsal tomorrow afternoon! Ten sharp, no excuses!"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Yuffie said, nodding a little. "So, you don't know this kid's name or anything?"

Genesis laughed a little and said, "Dearest, I am Genesis _Rhapsodos_! I can't be bothered to learn the name of every little bit of eye candy that comes around begging a part, now can I?"

Yuffie smiled a little and suggested, "Well…maybe he doesn't want crazy sex with the sexiest man in Midgar? Maybe he wants a _relationship_."

The look Genesis gave her should have scorched her on the spot, but since it didn't he simply snorted and said, "Sweetie, this is show business—people don't have _relationships_, we have liaisons. Besides, I think he might be straight."

"Oh, who _does_ that anymore, anyway?" Yuffie grouched, and nabbed the glass this nameless man had left, draining it of what wine remained before refilling it. "Still, maybe he's just looking for Mister Right, and _you_ are just Mister Right Now."

Genesis stopped sulking, exasperated, and declared, "You are a hopeless romantic, miss! Honestly, keep up at that rate and you'll be married off with a dozen little brats clinging to your gigantic thighs."

"My thighs aren't gigantic!" Yuffie cried, and checked just to be sure.

"No! Not _yet_," Genesis assured her. "But twelve babies later and you'll be nothing but sagging breasts, flaccid stomach and gigantic ass."

"My, my, good thing you _aren't_ a woman, Genesis! What a grim outlook!"

Genesis shuddered and pulled a face, fanning himself and saying, "Yes, at least that horrible excuse for a father managed to get _one_ thing right! And may his bones be ground to powder beneath the roots of those apple trees he so adores."

Yuffie blinked at him for a long, silent moment before deciding, "You really have some serious issues with your dad."

"Well, it merely fuels my creative drive," Genesis announced, completely over his former meltdown. "You just missed Yazoo, darling. She'll be so disappointed."

"Yeah, I figured she'd be gone by now," Yuffie sighed, wishing she'd been able to say hello. Thinking of Yazoo led to thinking of Rufus and that weird scene outside. She had to admit, 'Pippi Tornstockings' was kinda funny. She hadn't really expected a sodden drunk with a brain the size of a pea to come up with off-the-cuff humor or retaliate so quickly to accusations. No wonder he drove Yazoo bananas—not that she'd ever _claimed_ he had…

She laughed a little, recalling that other kid's huge eyes and attempts to hide himself in foliage. "Pippi Tornstockings! Ha!"

"Pippi _Tornstockings_?" Genesis echoed. "What on earth does _that_ mean?"

"I dunno," Yuffie said, lighting a cigarette. "It was just a drunken Doltism."

"What?" Genesis asked, and filched a smoke from her.

"A Doltism," Yuffie explained. "You know, something a total dolt says."

"Oh," Genesis sighed, nodding a little that he got it. "Gods know there are dolts aplenty in this stupid metropolis."

"It was _Rufus_," Yuffie confided, tapping her smoke and coughing a little.

"What? When did you see him?" Genesis questioned, making an elegant show of himself and winking at a nearby diner.

"Just outside on my way in," she answered. "He was trying to look in one of the windows. I think he was spying on Yazoo."

Genesis laughed and said, "She was with Reno! Ruling out stray bullets and mob bullshit, that's the safest place for her."

"Aren't those two a couple?" Yuffie asked, giving Genesis a suspicious glare. "What do you know about him?"

The man merely gave her a mysterious smile and purred, "I keep my secrets, my little Rose. Oh, yes, I _do_."

"Hm," Yuffie said, thoughtful. "I just always assumed those two were a thing, you know? In Wutai, they're like the hottest couple ever."

"Darling girl, you _know_ Yazoo now—even _I_ could tell she's about as likely to stray as a nun is to flip off a priest," Genesis coolly said, not really smoking his cigarette, just using it as a prop. "As astounding and weird as it is, I think she's just a genuinely _good person_."

"So they're just friends?" she asked, a little skeptical. "I mean, I don't really know Reno that well, but I _did_ spend a rather bizarre night in his company, and he's quite a party animal. You know, his bodyguard looks a lot like Yazoo…"

"He's Cetran, they're probably from the same place," Genesis said, brushing it off. "All of the Northerners are light, you have to go South to get any color in their pale little cheeks."

Yuffie fell silent, thinking of her new friend and what she knew of Reno. It was intriguing, and Yuffie couldn't help her curious nature—she'd been raised on tales of ShinRa's gorgeous wife and her mobster lover. All of the soap-operas in Wutai featured characters clearly based on them and she'd seen _tons_ of episodes. But, she had to admit, the television version of Yazoo was nothing like the flesh and blood. A socialite, yes; a well-mannered and high-bred woman, yes; but not a woman finding company outside of her marriage.

"_Romantic_!" Genesis sighed, and smacked her arm to get her attention. "Stop daydreaming about those two—it's never going to happen. Help me finish this wine. It was 500 gil a bottle, I'm not letting it go to waste."

* * *

Reno didn't leave after he dropped Yazoo off, he just waited in his car for his friend to show up. He'd told Rufus nine for the fight he had tickets to, figuring that Yazoo would seek the solace of his home fairly early. He hadn't pushed _too_ far tonight, but he'd definitely managed to make Yazoo more aware of him as something other than a friend, and that was the whole goal—when it came time, Yazoo would think that it was his own idea, making him even less suspicious. Reno just had to bide his time…

There was a knock on the tinted window and he rolled it down, recognizing Rufus's young valet. The kid looked pissed off but he tried to be respectful when he asked, "You taking Mister ShinRa out tonight, sir?"

"Yeah, why else you think I'm waiting here?"

Rufus flopped forward against the car and poked his head in the window in a cloud of alcoholic fumes, his grin wide and his hair mussed.

"What's up, my favorite friend!" he crowed.

"You're fucking kidding me," Reno snapped, and pushed him back so he could get out of the car. He asked Denzel, "How much has he been drinking tonight?"

"Too much," the kid answered, clearly happy to pawn Rufus off on Reno. "Have a nice evening."

Sighing in aggravation, Reno lit a cigarette and regarded his friend, both of them leaning against his car as Rufus's young assistant hurried away.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Reno asked, eyeing his outfit. "You get a make over from homeless people?"

Rufus giggled a little at that and draped one arm over his eyes, looking like he might just slide down the side of the car to the ground at any second.

"I had a meeting but I got stopped by a Madame Butterfly Dominatrix."

Reno shook his head at that and told him, "You need to lay off the booze, yo. You won't be around to enjoy that shit in Wutai."

"You got it?!" Rufus asked, suddenly alert and excited. He latched onto Reno's lapels and nearly dragged the slender man down when he lost his footing.

"Fuck, man, you stink like whiskey," Reno complained, tossing his cigarette because he'd nearly burned Rufus, steadying the man with both hands to keep them both upright. "No, I didn't get it. I told you, Rufus—this is gonna take some time if you want it to work right."

Rufus grinned up at him and asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "Did you kiss her goodnight? She's really shy, you know…"

Reno leaned close so that if the driver and bodyguard were listening in they wouldn't hear and said in a whisper, "I wouldn't tell you anyway, asshole, and don't talk about it where others can hear."

Rufus looked around in some confusion until Reno indicated his driver and bodyguard, and then understanding lit his features.

Reno cocked his head at that reaction, realizing that Rufus had forgotten about them, which meant…

"You know what's funny, Rufus?" he asked, still keeping his voice low, whispery. "You just referred to your wife as a _woman_."

"_I never_!" Rufus denied, jerking back and dragging Reno with him. "I wouldn't either do that! Why would I?"

Reno rolled his eyes and sighed again, but gamely opened the door to the car and shoved him inside, saying, "Come on, you fucker—let's go watch the fight. But first we're going by my place and getting you changed. I ain't showing up in public with you looking like a fucking train wreck."

Rufus curled up in the corner of the car and said, "Pippi Tornstockings, the Wutain Fetish Model," giggling to himself while Reno sat in silence and rued the fact that he'd waited on him in the first place.

* * *

Yazoo sat at his vanity combing his long hair, which was still a little damp from his bath. He thought of the evening and how nervous he'd been, trying to see how it tied in with Reno's behavior lately. Though they _did_ spend a fair amount of time together—enough so that the less discriminating rag-mags made mountains out of molehills—Yazoo had never considered Reno in any light but as a friend. Reno was straight, he had a different girl every time Yazoo saw him, and the man knew what Yazoo so skillfully kept hidden from the rest of the world. Yazoo had never really understood _how_ Reno had known, he just assumed that Rufus had confided in him…and he'd never really analyzed how Rufus had found out, either. Perhaps Yazoo's parents had warned the elder ShinRa before the wedding, and _he_ had told Rufus—it was convoluted and confusing, but the grand result was that Reno knew Yazoo was a man, so that ruled out anything else.

Didn't it?

Yazoo looked at himself in the mirror, but it wasn't a man looking back at him. It had _never_ been a man looking back at him. He was a woman, he always had been. He never thought of his true gender outside of getting ready in the morning and using the powder room during the day. It was an afterthought, a slight inconvenience, but not something that defined him. The person he saw in the mirror, combing her long silver hair, was a slender and sad young _woman_. Even without the corset or special bra, she was still feminine…

Thoughtfully, Yazoo put his silver comb down on the vanity and looked at his small, long-fingered hands. The hormone shots had prevented him from developing a masculine body, though he'd still wound up rather tall. Still, his hands were delicate, his wrists dainty. When he looked in the mirror there was no Adam's apple, no heavy line to his jaw, no prominent brow-bone. Though tied tightly, his robe still gaped a little at his chest and—thanks to the fact that he worked out religiously—there was still an illusion of cleavage due to the shape of his muscles.

People called him beautiful, strangers whistled at him, men propositioned him, yet here he was. Staring at himself in the mirror and wondering why his body couldn't match his true self.

Never once had he taken any of those crude offers seriously, though his loneliness sometimes tempted him. He'd also never once considered being with a woman—he just didn't entertain the notion of being a lesbian because he'd been raised to submit to the men in his life. He wouldn't know what to do with a woman and, frankly, the idea scared him worse than the thought of being with a man. His mother had kept him remarkably sheltered from the casual sexuality of his own people, so his knowledge of sex was limited to romance novels and the occasional movie that made him blush and quickly turn the channel.

Blush much in the same way as he had in the car…

His phone rang, startling him. Relived to be distracted from his thoughts, he snatched the handset up and breathed, "Hello?"

"Hey, lady!" Yuffie shouted. "I'm at the new restaurant. Genesis said I just missed you."

"Truly? Oh, that's too bad, I would've liked to see you," Yazoo said, his voice soft and throaty.

"Has anyone ever told you that you could do great phone sex?" Yuffie asked.

Yazoo laughed a little, scandalized but understanding the compliment hidden in the crude humor.

"Do you like it? I thought it was quite grand," Yazoo said, shifting the conversation back to the restaurant. "Is Genesis still there?"

"He's in the head," Yuffie said. "So I thought I'd give you a call. You know, I saw your twat of a husband dumb-assing around outside—I think he was spying on you."

"What?" Yazoo laughed. "No, he must've been on his way out of town, he didn't give a specific time he'd be leaving."

"Yeah, maybe," Yuffie said, not sounding convinced. "You have a nice night?"

"Yes, I did," Yazoo said, and managed to keep the tremor out of his voice. Blatantly lying to others wasn't something he was comfortable with, but manners required polite lies all of the time. When someone asked, 'How are you?' they didn't want an honest answer.

"You okay?" Yuffie asked. "You sound a little weird."

"I just feel funny," Yazoo said, shocked that he had someone to actually talk to. Though he didn't trust Yuffie implicitly, he always tried to give people a chance and he felt that Yuffie wouldn't intentionally harm him. "Things have been strange around here, lately. Rufus has suddenly become quite keen on my personal life, and Reno hasn't been himself."

"Oh _really_?" Yuffie asked, sounding quite interested herself. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure—it all sounds so conspiratal and paranoid!" Yazoo laughed, trying to get rid of that nagging feeling that all was not what it seemed. "It's just that Reno has been going out of his way to be with me and Rufus is…well, it's like he thinks something is going on with me. Like I'm doing something wrong."

"Like you're bonking his best friend?" Yuffie offered.

Yazoo blushed again, horrified to have something he'd barely touched upon put so indelicately. He hadn't even _considered_—no, that was just it, he _had_ considered it, and he'd promptly shoved the idea of it away.

"You there?"

"Yes," Yazoo said, a little breathless with shock. "I wouldn't do something like that…"

Yuffie snorted a little and said, "_I_ would—Reno is hot, even if he is an asshole mobster."

"He's not a mobster," Yazoo scolded. "He's an entrepreneur!"

"You say tomato," Yuffie teased, but dropped the subject. "So, you have a nosy husband and a friend acting funny around you…what's been going on with _you_? Anything change?"

"I've been remarkably off," Yazoo said, laughing softly. "I don't know, honestly. I've never been this way before, I feel so silly…"

"How?" Yuffie asked. "You gotta tell me this stuff, Yazoo—maybe we can figure it out between us, huh?"

"It's just that…well, like this evening," Yazoo said, blushing just to recall it. "In the car Reno accidentally touched my leg—" he fudged a little, unwilling to say just where Reno _had_ accidentally touched him—"and I nearly came out of my skin! I've _never _been like that around Reno before."

"You sure it was an accident?" Yuffie teased.

"Stop, it isn't like that!" Yazoo said, and sighed a little, laughing again. "And when he dropped me off he pushed my hair back—which he _constantly_ does when I wear it up—but I reacted as if he was going to strangle me! I actually _jumped_. I don't know what's gotten into me, I've never been leery of him before, we're friends…It's like I've never seen him before and now that I have something is _weird_ about it. I feel like I'm going to either pass out from nerves or embarrass myself with awkwardness. That isn't _me_, Yuffie—I simply don't _do_ that! I can't imagine why I'm behaving so strangely. Perhaps I should see my doctor."

"Hm…" Yuffie mused. "Do you think you might have a crush on him?"

"What?" Yazoo asked, not familiar with the term. "What does that mean?"

"It means, sometimes for no reason things change with people," Yuffie offered. "Like, I had a guy friend for a long time and things never went _there_, and then one day I was looking at him and I realized he was really good looking, but I'd never noticed it before. After that it was all over but the crying! I got nervous around him, and started stuttering when I talked and basically felt like an ass all of the time until he finally just got fed up and kissed me."

"And then what?" Yazoo asked, amazed because Yuffie had described his own condition perfectly.

"Well, _you know_," Yuffie said, trying to be polite for Yazoo's sake. "That's a crush, Yazoo—you just do your thing and part ways."

"A crush," Yazoo echoed, wondering if that was all it was. Had he been so lonely that he'd picked Reno to fixate on? Was everything just in his imagination, trying to make it seem as if there was something there when, in truth, he was just being a silly schoolgirl?

"So…" Yuffie said, and sounded questioning. "What do you think? You like him_ that _way? It doesn't have to be a _bad_ thing, Yazoo. You don't seem so happy with your marriage, and the entire world is pretty positive that you two have been a thing for _ages_—maybe it's all rubbing off on you, you know? Maybe you're just a victim of celebrity-suggestion."

Yazoo pondered it. He'd never had a crush before, just his former excitement over marrying that had quickly cooled to disappointed distance. Unless, of course, he counted his vague musings about Rude and the fanciful daydreams he'd had as a teenager where Rude rescued him and whisked him away where they'd live happily ever after. Of course, those daydreams had stopped as the years passed and he'd been slowly drowned in his own sorrow. But, maybe…maybe…

Once the thought was planted, it simply wouldn't go away.

"Oops, he's back, gotta go!" Yuffie said. "Have a nice night, Yazoo! Call us if you want to go clubbing! And if you can't reach me, we'll be at The Brink, okay?"

"Okay," Yazoo said, his voice vague and thoughtful. "And thank you for listening to me, Yuffie."

"Anytime!" the girl crowed, and the line went dead.

Yazoo hung up the phone and looked at the mirror again, trying to consider himself objectively.

"It can't go anywhere, you know that," he murmured, and those full, perfect lips moved as that woman in the mirror mimicked him. "You're just being fanciful and silly. You're a grown, married woman. Grown, married women do _not_ get crushes, it simply won't do…"

He turned off the vanity lights and went to his bedroom, locking the door and shedding his robe. There were no mirrors in here, nothing to suddenly remind him of his true gender, nothing to startle him with the stark truth. He slipped into his silk nightgown and crawled into bed, curling around his pillows.

Though he reminded himself sternly that he was _not_ at all allowed to think such things about men who weren't his husband, he still couldn't quite stop his excitement over tomorrow's trip. As much as he tried to convince himself that he _didn't_ have a crush, the idea was too seductive to be ignored and his loneliness was a fertile bed for that seed of an idea to grow in.

Smiling in the darkness, Yazoo finally drifted off into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

"So then you ended up coming to Midgar?" Kadaj clarified, and laughed, shaking his head. "I don't believe a _word_!"

"What? Why?" Zack asked, but he was laughing, too. They were in Zack's suite, which seemed small and cozy compared to Reno's gigantic room. Zack was in a plush chair pulled up next to the bed where Kadaj was lounging on his side, perfectly comfortable. "You saying I'm telling stories?"

"I'm saying you'd make a fantastic writer," Kadaj informed him, and yawned a little, still smiling.

His yawn made Zack look at his watch and double take in a way that had Kadaj laughing again.

"Holy cow, we've been yakking for _hours_!"

"What time is it?" Kadaj inquired, his interest as mild as his voice. He didn't give a damn about the time—he'd take all of the time necessary to get what he wanted.

"It's two in the morning!" Zack said, incredulous. "It's _late_ and you're yawning, you need to go get some sleep."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Kadaj teased, and let his lids lower in a way that experience had taught him was _very_ effective in winning him attention.

Zack seemed more startled than interested, and said, "No, of course not, it's just that I'm getting a little sleepy, too…"

"_Well_…" Kadaj said, and traced circles on the plush coverlet—though the suite had been empty for months, every single room in Reno's huge place was opulently appointed and Zack's small suite was no exception. He cut his eyes up to Zack's and purred, "Then let's go to bed."

Zack froze, but his eyes got noticeably larger.

"Uh…"

Kadaj cocked his head, frowning a little. Since coming to this country he'd never once used his own charms to seduce someone—those people he slept with on Reno's behalf had been provided by his lover and willing. For the first time in his young life, he was consciously attempting to seduce someone who didn't have a prior connection to or lust for him.

Not being successful wasn't really something he'd planned for.

"What, do you like girls or something?" he asked, and did his best to keep the hiss out of his voice.

"Well, _yeah_, I like girls," Zack said. "I like all kinds of people, Kadaj—but I don't really know you."

Kadaj gave him a flat look.

"So, you don't think I'm beautiful?" he asked, putting a purr in his voice that always got Reno's pulse up.

Zack shifted with discomfort but truthfully answered, "Kadaj, I'd have to be very old, completely blind, and mostly deaf to think you're not sexy—you're like a feast for the senses…" He gave Kadaj a pleading, almost apologetic look and softly added, "But where I come from, people don't just tumble into bed together because they like the way the other person looks."

Kadaj sat up, cheeks flaming from the rejection.

"I mean, if I thought I'd even have half a chance, I'd take you on a date," Zack hurriedly said, pausing Kadaj in the act of angrily leaving the bed. "But look where you live…look who you live _with_! You've got a gorgeous gillionaire boyfriend who owns most of this city and I don't even have a gil to my name. There's no competition there, Kadaj."

Kadaj just sat there, poised to stand, his head hanging.

"Money isn't everything, is it?" he asked, and tried not to be embarrassed by what had just happened.

"Kadaj," Zack said, and gripped his shoulder. "You're a kid, still—despite what you've been through. You're gorgeous and smart and driven, and someday you're gonna be a Somebody. You deserve a lot better than a cheating mobster, and you deserve a _hell_ of a lot better than a shady handyman."

Kadaj was quiet for a long time before he looked up and softly confided, "He doesn't come home to me like he used to. Most nights I just lay in his bed alone and cold, wishing I could go back and change things…"

He looked up at Zack and was touched by the genuine concern in his eyes, so large and blue and beautiful. He really was a nice man, and Kadaj hadn't really met very many of those in his short, brutal life.

"Can I just stay here with you?" he whispered. "I won't pull anything, I promise. I just don't want to sleep in his bed tonight, not after seeing him with _her_."

Zack smiled at him and said, "Yeah, of course. I've been a gentleman under more questionable circumstances."

Kadaj laughed a little in relief and asked, "So…once you get your first paycheck, will you take me on a date?"

"That all depends," Zack said, digging out a tee-shirt for Kadaj to wear to bed.

"On what?" Kadaj asked, unselfconsciously stripping out of his clothes and taking the offered shirt while Zack changed into his own pajamas.

"Will that mean I'm your mistress?"

Kadaj started to giggle in helpless response as he tugged the shirt on, the late hour and wine combining with his relief at not sleeping alone to make him a little slap-happy.

"Because I think I'd look best in blue, like my eyes," Zack continued, pulling down the covers and clicking off the bedside lamp. "No ruffles, though."

"Why not ruffles?" Kadaj asked, and wriggled into the bed in the darkness, finding Zack's body and snuggling against him.

"_Darling_!" Zack teased, his voice haughty and full of laughter as he tucked them both in. "Ruffles are _so_ last _year_!"

* * *

"Kitten? Is that you?"

Elena scowled to hear the fat fucker coo at her from the den. Who the fuck _else_ would be coming through the front door?

"Yeah," she answered, throwing her bag down on the corner table and angrily jerking out her earrings. She was still incensed about her run-in with Reno, still furious that he so easily dismissed her and spoke to her like she was just another of his whores.

Elena was _not_ just a whore.

Knowing it was expected of her, she detoured to the den and loitered at the doorway, not wanting to get close enough to invite slobbering kisses or rough touches. Honestly, ShinRa Senior had the skills of a fumbling adolescent—no wonder his first wife had pissed off to a cloister.

"What's wrong? You look angry, my love," the older man said, his bushy mustache giving him the look of a corpulent walrus.

"Ronald, why do you pay Reno for me?" Elena asked. After all of these years and never once mentioning it, it felt awkward and odd to speak of it…But Reno had pissed her off for the last time.

The man's face flushed a dull, purplish-red but he didn't flinch when he said, "Because that is the only way to have you, Elena."

He sat back in his chair and gave her a smile that was both sad and gentle. "I am a practical man, my little dove. Though I may be the president of this glorious nation, while I have more money than most other developed countries combined, I am also overweight and far beyond my prime. I have long understood that no position or amount of money can overcome those things, so I made an arrangement with that degenerate slum-scum to have the pleasure of being with the most beautiful, cultured, and wonderful woman in the world."

Elena frowned. She didn't like it when he started to act like he was a person. She didn't like the way it made her feel like a cold, malicious bitch.

"What if I told you I don't wanna work for him anymore?" she asked, sticking to her guns, falling back to that rude manner of speaking which defined those born below the plate.

He was silent for a long moment before he softly said, "Then I should be a most unhappy man and miss you terribly, Elena."

"Well, I _don't_," she told him, getting ahold of herself, remembering to keep her voice cultured and correct. "Don't pay him another penny, Ron. As of right now, I'm off his books. I've stayed here with you for so long that we might as well just cut out the middle man."

"What do you propose, then?" he asked, and his hope was clear in his cloudy blue eyes—he wanted her to say that she cared about him, that she would stay because she couldn't be without him, that the money didn't matter…

"You can put the money in my account," she informed him, and withdrew from the den, adding, "I'm going to bed, my head hurts."

He stared at the empty doorway for awhile before he sadly whispered, "Goodnight…"

* * *

Reno and Rufus both made money on the fight and promptly headed to one of Reno's clubs to enjoy the rest of their evening. Reno was in a bad mood in spite of his winnings because when he'd gone home to get Rufus changed, there was no sign of Kadaj anywhere. He hadn't asked the night-girl if he'd come back yet because he hadn't _wanted_ to know, he hadn't wanted to get pissed off before the fight and fume about things all evening.

He did his best to keep Rufus nominally coherent and substituted his drinks for plain water when he had the chance, but the man was still drunk off of his ass and ridiculous. It made Reno wonder just what kind of success he'd actually achieved, if this was his life and these were his friends—but, Rufus was the heir apparent to the presidency, and Reno was still a calculating animal. Besides, the dumbass was good for laughs and made an interesting companion.

It was four in the morning before Reno finally got Rufus home and wrangled him into his bed. He didn't bother to undress him or even take off his shoes—served him right for getting so drunk. His ride home was quick but he was still edgy and irritated, almost frantic to throw open the doors to his room and see if Kadaj had obeyed him or not. That spiteful little bitch of a boy could push him like no one else, and didn't care three shits for the consequences.

As always, his house was brightly lit and lively, shadows chasing each other on the drawn shades and faint music escaping through half-open windows. The front door was never locked and the guard posts were never unmanned—Reno's was open twenty-four-seven, seven days a week.

He took the steps two at a time and went to the huge area dubbed "reception" where there was always someone on duty. The girl straightened from her magazine when she saw him coming and beamed a winning smile that he'd probably paid for.

"Kadaj come home?" he asked, short with her despite himself.

"Yeah, he came in about ten, just after you left with Mister Rufus," she answered, pouting a little that he hadn't flirted with her. "He was with that farm-guy he hired to fix shit."

"Oh yeah? Crazy black hair and blue eyes?" Reno asked, and felt his heart speeding up when she nodded. "We got guests?"

She checked her book and a little dry-erase mock-up of his house, saying, "Max capacity, Mister Reno. Anyone comes and I gotta turn them away, fire safety and all."

"Good girl," he said, and patted her head before he headed up the stairs, deftly avoiding girls and boy running through the house and screeching, occasionally doling out hugs and bottom-swats. They always got so excited to see him, and tended to crowd around him when he came home. It made him think about moving out entirely. After all, Kadaj could handle this house, he ruled it with an iron fist.

He got to the double doors of his suite and stopped, his fists clenching and a fierce scowl falling over his features.

The painting was facing him, a surreal picture of a woman with a parasol and huge, floppy hat. He'd always hated that painting, but Kadaj had loved it, so it stayed. But right now, he could've gladly torn it off of the door and smashed it because it was _supposed_ to be flipped around. It was _supposed_ to be facing into the door and showing its bare, ugly back to world as a sign that Kadaj was inside and the door was unlocked.

Trembling with anger, he tried the handle to confirm it was locked, and quickly unlocked it. He made himself look inside, but he knew—he _knew_—Kadaj was not in his bed.

"_That little fucking shit_!" he hissed, glaring at his empty bed.

When he left his room again no one approached him. The furious look on his face sent his babies scattering for the safety of their patrons and rooms, frightened of him. The people in his house lived in stark terror of his temper, simply because he showed it so little. But when he did, things got _ugly_ and they got ugly _fast_.

Without even bothering to knock, he went to the only suite on his floor that hadn't had an occupant for awhile and slammed open the door, snarling, "_Kadaj, get your fucking ass out here _now!"

* * *

Tseng waited in his car for the small private jet to disgorge its contents. He had done his best to calm himself after seeing Kadaj at the restaurant. Nothing soothed his nerves quite like dispassionate planning—eliminate the problem, _solve_ the problem—so he had done just that. Whoever that man was, whatever he might be to his little Jewel, in a very short time he would be dead as dreams.

Tseng had planned it, and his plans very rarely went awry.

The door opened and Tseng gracefully got out of the car, waiting at the foot of the metal railing.

A woman emerged, small and delicate. Her glossy black hair was upswept and set with pearls and her slender, generously endowed body was clad in layers of embroidered silk and satin. She was a parody of a Dai Jiao noble-woman, a consumer's stereotype of Tseng's culture from the pins in her hair and the cast of her makeup down to her soft little slippers.

"Tseng-_shifu_," she said, inclining her head and holding out her hand.

He took it and kissed the tips of her fingers—a Midgarian greeting that she wasn't expecting.

"Mei Li," he said. "Circumstances have changed."

Her thin eyebrows lifted in an expression of innocent surprise.

"Tseng-_shifu_," she said, and her voice was soft with a little-girl quality indicative of her station in life. "I have come at your request to do as you would have me."

He led her to the car and settled her inside before sliding in next to her. While his driver gathered her bags, he explained, "I had intended to send you to your beloved _wairen_, Mei Li, and I still will do just that. He requires distraction and you have always succeeded where others have failed."

She blushed at the praise and demurely lowered her face, smiling.

"However, I have another request to make of you," he went on, and paused a long moment when the driver got back into the car, taking the time to activate the partition before picking up again. "I need for you to watch an individual for me. I suspect that you will find yourself with much free time in Reno's home, so take advantage of that."

She cocked her head and murmured, "I do as you will, Tseng-_shifu_."

"He is a Cetran boy named Kadaj and he runs Reno's business," Tseng went on. "He currently may have a lover who is _not_ Reno, and I wish to find out who he is. I wish to know his vulnerabilities. I wish to have him removed."

She was quiet next to him, her dainty hands curled in her lap. After a long silence, she said, "I will attend to this matter for you, master."

He smiled in the darkness, his dark eyes glittering, and purred, "Of course you will."

* * *

Zack sprang from his bed when that deep, furious voice shouted its demand. Eyes already adjusted to the darkness, he immediately saw the form outlined by the hallway lights. A split second later the lights flipped on, practically blinding him.

"Get out of here!" Kadaj snarled, sitting up in the bed, flinging the covers off to stand up. The tee-shirt he was wearing barely reached the tops of his lean thighs, but the seductive quality of him didn't at all detract from how scary he could be. His little fingers clenched into fists and his whole stance changed—Kadaj was clearly preparing for battle.

"This is _my_ fucking house!" Reno shouted, and Zack glanced back at him. He'd seen Reno up close earlier tonight but he seemed a lot taller now, and a fuck of a lot more dangerous. "Get your ass to bed!"

"I _was_ in bed!" Kadaj yelled, stalking up to stand toe to toe with him, as dangerous in his anger as Reno was. Furious, he slapped Reno hard across the cheek, uttered an outraged little noise, reared back, and slapped him again. "How _dare_ you come here and shout orders at me?! Who the _fuck_ do you think I am that you can talk to me like that? Have I _ever_ been one of your little whores?!"

Zack tensed as Reno did, preparing to leap to Kadaj's defense. He was small, Reno was not—Zack would keep things even.

"I think you're a little boy-cunt whose mouth is too big and whose attitude needs some adjusting," Reno snarled.

Kadaj cocked his head and gave him an evil smile, purring, "And I think you're a two-bit loser whose cock is going to find him more trouble than his idiot brain can handle." He gave Reno a hard shove and snapped, "Now, get the fuck out and leave me alone. You have _other_ lovers who want you, so go to them since _I_ don't!"

As he turned away, Reno snatched him by his hair and yanked him back.

In that same instance, Zack pounced and got a throttle hold on him. He wasn't expecting Reno to be so fast—the man's free hand shot up to squeeze his throat. As he did, Zack brought his other hand around to double his hold and was startled to feel the cold edge of something very sharp whip up against his chest, just beneath his rib.

"Stop it! _Stop it_!" Kadaj shrieked, yanking at their arms, trying to wedge between them.

Reno stopped short of shoving that blade up and finding his heart, and Zack loosened his hold a bit, unwilling to give up his marginal safety. He was still stunned by the speed with which Reno had released Kadaj's hair and drawn a knife on him.

"Stop this right now!" Kadaj demanded, and managed to shove himself in between them, panting and furious.

"Pretty fast for a farmer," Reno purred, his blue eyes narrow and dangerous, his smile cruel.

"I never said I was a farmer," Zack breathed, too pumped with adrenaline to be afraid.

"Consider yourself fired," Reno told him, and pulled away, flipping the knife closed and sliding it back into place.

"Oh, _shut up_!" Kadaj screamed, truly furious. "You're not fucking firing him! _You_ didn't _hire_ him!"

"Who's the fucking boss around here, you little bitch?" Reno demanded. "Who owns this shit? Who pays the fucking bills?"

"_I do_!" Kadaj snarled. He turned to Zack and shortly said, "Go back to bed and finish fixing the floor tomorrow. You're not fired."

"You'd better be gone by morning," Reno warned.

"He isn't going _anywhere_!" Kadaj said, and slapped his hand against Reno's chest. "Now come _on_, let's go to bed."

"I mean it," Reno said, and resisted a little as Kadaj yanked and pulled at him, hissing, "_Come on, _I said! Leave that poor man alone! You're a fucking psycho, Reno! Come _on_!"

He let himself be tugged from Zack's room and the man stared after them, waiting until he heard Reno's suite door close before he went to close his own. Panting as the endorphins faded, his heart pounding with sudden awareness, Zack leaned on the door and caught his breath. It wasn't that he couldn't have taken care of that situation, it was just that he hadn't expected Reno to be so _fast_. The man moved too fast to follow, and Zack wasn't used to others being up to his own standard. Even the knife he hadn't expected, and as he calmed there in his small, cozy suite, he realized that he'd lost more along the way to Midgar than just his integrity.

And this was a dangerous arena to be fumbling around in like a novice.

Shaking, his anger gradually overtaking his surprise, Zack clambered back into bed where the faint, sweet scent of Kadaj's body still lingered.

* * *

"I can't believe you!" Kadaj fumed, tearing the blankets off of the bed and throwing them on the floor. "You're _insane_, Reno! _Insane_!"

"What the fuck was that?" Reno demanded, and yanked the blankets up off of the floor, only to have Kadaj furiously snatch them back and toss them down again. "What the fuck do you think you're doing with that guy, huh? I say it was okay? I tell you that you could fuck him?"

Kadaj sneered at him and hissed, "I don't take orders from _you_."

"You need to watch your fucking mouth, Kadaj," Reno said. He eyed the blankets on the marble floor and asked, "What the fuck is this?"

"You want me in your bed," Kadaj smartly replied, and seated himself regally on the item in question before pointing a haughty finger at the pallet on the floor. "So _you_ get to sleep on the floor—because I'm not letting you touch me fresh from fucking _her_."

"Don't start!" Reno warned, and yanked the blankets back up, slapping Kadaj when he fought him. "Knock that off!"

Glowering, Kadaj crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the far wall, ignoring him.

"You know, you used to be a good boy," Reno mused, standing before him, seething and angry. "You used to be somebody I trusted. What happened?"

"You can't keep it in your pants, for one," Kadaj informed him, leveling a dark glare at him.

"You think I fuck every person you see me with in the papers?" Reno asked, and laughed. "You gullible like the rest of Midgar? Fuck, Kadaj, I don't have patience for that kind of drama—it's all bullshit and you know it."

"I don't care anymore, just shut up," Kadaj told him, and shot up to go to the bathroom in a huff.

Reno caught his arm and earned himself another stinging slap.

"You gotta stop that shit!" he cursed, and smacked him back, shaking him a little to take the sass out of him. "You ungrateful little fucker—I give you this place to live, I give you money and a job, I give you everything you could ask for—"

"But not the one thing I _have_ asked for," Kadaj reminded, and gave him another vicious, unhappy smile.

"I'm tempted to fucking turn you out on your ass and see how you do," Reno said, disgusted. "You fucking slut, balling some backwoods farmboy in a snit because I had a dinner reservation. You don't deserve to live here with me."

"I _don't_ live here with you," Kadaj laughed. "I live here _alone_! Turn me out, see if I care! I'll burn this fucking house down behind me and leave you nothing but _ashes_! I'm tempted to just go anyway!"

Reno's face darkened with anger and he lowly hissed, "Nobody leaves me, Kadaj. You understand? _Nobody_!"

"Go fuck yourself," the youth suggested, and laughed. "I'm not afraid of you, Reno. You and your sharp knives and quick hands—you don't scare me at all! _Go ahead_!"

"Don't fucking tempt me to knock you off, Kadaj," Reno warned. "You're really pissing me off right now."

The boy laughed, the sound musical but still unhappy. With a sly, wry look at Reno he purred, "You could _try_, Reno."

He headed off again, and Reno grabbed him again, and Kadaj slapped him again, leaving them much where they were just moments before—glaring at one another and furious.

Without warning, Reno jerked Kadaj closer and kissed him.

It was biting teeth and cruelty, hunger and fierce need, both of them struggling to win the upper hand, to be the one in control.

"You can't leave me," he said, sucking at Kadaj's willing mouth.

Kadaj kissed him back, biting his plunging tongue, and managed to demand, "Don't see her anymore."

Reno didn't answer. His hold on Kadaj just tightened and the young man shoved against him, inviting and demanding, tumbling them both back onto the bed for the kind of brutal, crude sex that always followed their endless fighting...


	17. Chapter 17

Yazoo looked at himself in the full-length mirror and bit his lip, turning slightly to the side. Did this blouse make him look fat? He was almost certain it did. Perhaps he should change into pants instead? Reno _had_ said to wear something comfortable, but that covered all kinds of things. Yes, he _definitely_ looked fat, there was no doubt about it. It bothered him that he'd never noticed before—the blouse was one of his favorites.

"Honestly!" he huffed, taking it off and throwing it into a basket in his closet. With dismay he looked over his huge walk-in, seeing hundreds of articles of clothing and not a single one to wear.

He heard Marlene come in and hastily pulled his robe on, opening the door and calling, "Marlene? Could you come in here, please?"

Marlene came when he called her, looking baffled and a little awed. She had never been allowed into Yazoo's dressing room before, only in the small accessories closet outside of it.

"I need your help," Yazoo said, looking distressed. "I'm going somewhere today and was told to dress comfortably. What do you wear when someone leaves it so open to interpretation?"

Marlene smiled at Yazoo's nervous helplessness and said, "Well, I just go by what _they_ usually wear when they're going casual."

Yazoo thought for a moment and said, "Usually worn jeans, an untucked dress shirt, and a pair of running shoes."

"Hm," Marlene looked over Yazoo's clothing collection without touching anything and said, "I always liked these jeans on you, Mrs. ShinRa—you've got a tiny waist and the fit suits you. If I were you I'd wear…_this_ top!"

She pointed at a blouse fashioned as a man's dress shirt but shaped to echo feminine curves.

"And I'd wear it over this tank top and leave it a little unbuttoned."

Yazoo blushed and stammered, "I couldn't leave that showing, Marlene—that camisole is _underwear_!"

"No one knows that!" Marlene laughed. "The white camisole, this shirt, and those jeans with your snow boots and you will look so casual-chic that Genesis Rhapsodos himself will explode with envy."

"Oh, Marlene, you're silly!" Yazoo laughed, but considered the outfit before nodding a little and shooing the girl. "Go on, let me dress! I'll show you in a moment."

Marlene rolled her eyes at Yazoo's excessive modesty but went out anyway.

Yazoo stripped down to his bra, the stealth-corset (as he liked to call it), and the heavy spandex panties he wore when he was feeling particularly paranoid. Usually just specially-made underwear had enough strength to them to keep all of his questionable bits in place, but Yazoo was feeling easily distressed today and wasn't taking any chances.

The jeans were a pair that he rarely wore because he felt that they were a little too clingy—still, they did fit him well and made a fine show of his round bottom and lithe legs…almost to the point that he took them back off again. Resisting the urge, he pulled on the camisole and shirt before he put on his socks and snow boots. Without looking in the mirror to criticize himself, he opened the door and called Marlene back in.

"Wow, you look great!" the girl said, and fussed with Yazoo's collar, making sure it was open more to show the hint of cleavage and creamy skin. "Roll the sleeves back a little and let me put your hair up."

Yazoo obeyed, feeling relieved that someone was here to help him. Marlene pulled his hair up into a studiously messy ponytail high on his head, pulling tendrils down to frame his face with his straight-cut bangs.

"Could you get my choker, please?" Yazoo asked, checking his hair in the mirror and altogether pleased with what he saw. "The plain one with those pearlescent beads."

"Oh, that'll ruin it!" Marlene pouted, and refused to go fetch it. "Why do you always cover up your neck anyway? It's one of your finest assets! Why do you think everyone calls you the Cetran Swan, Mrs. ShinRa?"

Yazoo stared at her in surprise, but gazed at the mirror, thinking. There was no trace of an Adam's apple, no sign to give him away…

"You're right," he said, and heard Marlene sigh in relief. "I won't wear any jewelry today. Thank you for your help, Marlene. Do you think you could take care of some of my correspondence? I don't know when I'll be back."

"Of course!" Marlene said, smiling. "You have fun! Is Mr. Reno taking you out again?"

Yazoo blushed brightly but Marlene affected not to notice.

"I bet you two had fun last night at the opening," the girl sighed, dreamy with it. "All of the glitz and glamour…you're so lucky, Mrs. ShinRa."

Yazoo smiled at her, remembering when he was young and full of dreams.

"I think I just might be."

* * *

Kadaj woke when Reno's phone started chirping an alarm.

"What the fuck?" he groaned, and shifted beneath the man's lean body. He was pleasantly sore and still tired from last night's angry, fantastic sex.

"Turn that shit off!" Reno shouted, his voice muffled against Kadaj's chest.

"It's _your_ phone, asshole!" Kadaj told him, and managed to shove the man off of him.

Reno rolled with a grunt and flopped one arm over the side of the bed, groping for his phone. He stared at it, groaned tiredly, and shut the alarm off, falling face-first back into the pillows.

"What's happening today that you have to get up so early?" Kadaj inquired, yawning and stretching.

"Nothing, just got a trip planned," the man mumbled, and heaved himself up to sit, rubbing at his face to wake himself up, his long, disheveled hair spilling down his back. He turned a little and looked over his shoulder at Kadaj. In a serious, flat voice he said, "Fire that fucking farmer today, Kadaj."

Kadaj smiled softly and stretched again, sighing, "I'll do nothing remotely like!"

He rolled over to look at Reno and purred, "You do whatever it is you do and leave the business to your little Kadaj, yes? He saves you money, so he _stays_."

"I'm fucking serious about this, Cateyes," Reno warned.

"So am I," the boy said, smirking at the irritation on Reno's face. "Get away from me, you're ruining my morning."

Reno smirked at him and got up, slapping Kadaj hard on the ass to hear him yelp.

"Fucking sassy little bitch," he chuckled, and left to go shower.

* * *

Ronald ShinRa was the President of a very mighty nation, the commander in chief (in theory) of one of the world's largest and most powerful armies. Trends in the world rose and fell according to the fickle whims of his people and he had a history of rule that made _hereditary_ rule a bygone conclusion. He had taken capitalism to new heights and had effectively stolen a republic without anyone really caring—because as long as the people of his nation were satiated on consumer goods, gossip, and the illusion of their own superiority they couldn't give a damn who was running their country.

And yet, when it came to one very vicious young lady, Ronald ShinRa was not the powerful man he thought he was.

Elena was a mystery to him, and that mystery kept him fascinated when her temper and mood swings would otherwise have ended their relationship. Her mystery kept her in her place as his mistress, though he sought comfort and contact from others of Reno's house. He didn't regret those encounters—he needed affection as any other man, and Elena barely concealed how much she disliked him.

He had so hoped to help her change, had so hoped that the inside would match the outside in beauty. He had such hope to mold her into someone much like his dear Yazoo—beloved by the people, an icon and a role-model.

He had hoped to make her his wife.

He cleared his throat and frowned a little, staring out at the vast metropolis that called itself his own. All of these people, all of these new beginnings, and here he was old and failing, _falling_, with no one who cared to catch him. He'd considered confiding in Yazoo, but the dear little creature would worry herself ill, and he felt himself the author of too many of her woes to burden her with yet another. He'd known when the arrangement was made all of those years ago that he was getting a boy in place of a girl, that grandchildren would be a medical miracle but something that Yazoo's parents had planned for. He'd hoped that the illusion would be enough, that Rufus would be seduced to the point that stopping would appear as cowardice and there would be no choice but to settle. And they all would live happily ever after at last.

But someone had told his son Yazoo's secret and Rufus—the twit that he was—had proceeded to both disrespect and neglect one of the most beautiful creatures that Ronald had ever had the good fortune to set eyes on. Had he been years younger, he would not have hesitated to take Yazoo for his wife, to allow her the freedom his son did not. But circumstances had left him old and regretful, sad that all of the women in his life were so complex and so unreachable. He thought of Rufus's mother, kneeling at prayer in a church somewhere, no doubt. He often wished for her sensible advice and her gentle caring. He missed her more now than he had when he was young and ambitious and had no time for a woman's needs. He wondered if he could visit her, wherever she was. He could tell her what was draining him away and she would not pity him. Compassion, however…she would show him that, and a little of that would be balm to his soul after Elena's cutting claws.

He buzzed his secretary and asked her to please locate his ex-wife.

It would do him good to see her again, especially when time was so short.

* * *

Rufus hissed when he woke up, the crashing pain of his head combining with the desert-dry cottony feeling of his mouth to make him one miserable grump.

"You're a shit, sir," Denzel announced, puttering around his room. The boy came to him with a glass of water and two aspirin and said, "Mrs. ShinRa came around to let you know she'd be gone today."

"Where?" Rufus croaked, nearly choking when he tried to do it all lying down. He groaned pitifully but had apparently run through Denzel's reserves of sympathy.

"Didn't say, sir. She's knows you aren't in the habit of caring," the boy said. "And your bath is ready when you get up."

Rufus winced, wondering if he could convince the youth to carry him to the bath…No, Denzel would likely hit him in the head; the little shit could be vindictive when he was irritated.

"Mister Reno called to check on you and asked if you'd checked out Mrs. ShinRa's bodyguard," the boy went on, straightening Rufus's room and picking up after him as the man rolled out of bed and stripped. "He said to remind you if you haven't."

"Why did you answer my phone, you shit?" Rufus asked, but he didn't really care. He only cared that the blessed, blissful peace of the tub was just a room away.

"He's told me before that if he takes you for a night and you're still drunk when I get here that I'm to answer your phone when he calls," Denzel said, shrugging. "He also said if you ever asked to tell you that you're a fucking dickhead alcoholic and he just wants to make sure you haven't died in your sleep."

Rufus smirked. Yeah, that sounded like Reno, alright.

"You know, it escapes me how that man can drink so much and still wake up at the crack of dawn," Rufus commented, stepping into his perfect bath and settling in with a hearty sigh, the issue of checking up on Rude already out of his mind. "I've seen him drink himself into a near coma and pop up just a few hours later, right as rain. I envy him."

"You shouldn't," Denzel said, his big eyes wide with shock. "Sir, you _shouldn't_. Maybe he's sick or something! Maybe he's got a problem with his insides! _You're_ going to be the president some day and you got a _really_ beautiful wife so you've done Mister Reno better a few times, I'd say."

Rufus scoffed at this but he couldn't very well tell his help that Yazoo was packing a cock and his marriage was a farce. Everyone who worked in their household knew that all was not well with the young ShinRas. Separate suits, Rufus's antics, and the rumors of extramarital affairs had rather cast a pall over what appeared to be a storybook marriage.

"Oh, he also said not to call him today, he'd be busy," the boy said, almost an afterthought as he straightened up the bathroom and made sure Rufus's towels were within easy reach.

Rufus sighed a little again. Yazoo was gone for the day, which meant he couldn't go and pester him. Just his luck that Reno was out of reach, too—

The man grinned suddenly, ignoring how it hurt his aching head.

"What's so fantastic, sir?" Denzel asked, wary of his sudden good humor.

"Oh, nothing," Rufus said, but he practically giggled with glee. "I was just hoping that Yazoo has a _very_ good time today…A very good time, indeed."

* * *

Rude considered what was happening with calm calculation.

He was a highly intelligent man and had spent the majority of his life as a political force to be reckoned with. In his own country he kept the government in power through the sheer threat of his presence with the understanding that once this mission was complete and the objective achieved, he would take over the reins as was his rightful place. He was no stranger to intrigue, comfortable with deceit, able to predict his enemy's movements with uncanny precision.

But the pattern he saw emerging was not consistent with what he knew to be.

Rude had made a study of Reno out of necessity—it was necessary to Rude to know the man's tastes, his intentions, his ability to cause harm. It not only was part of his job as Yazoo's protector, it was part of his overall mission to know who could be a threat to him in the end. He had already discounted Yazoo's idiot husband. Rufus would not notice the least of things occurring with his wife. He had begun to discount Reno, but his recent behavior was disturbing. Reno had always evinced a well-concealed interest in Yazoo that Rude had always been aware of. The man had never once made an overture, done anything out of line, or even touched Yazoo outside of kissing her hand. Rude had logically put this down to respect for Rufus and an overall disinterest in Yazoo outside of being a beautiful, distracting woman. At first Rude had been concerned when he'd noticed it, but research into Reno's tastes had left him feeling relatively confident that Reno had little to no sexual interest in Rude's charge. In fact, it seemed that the world at large was under a false impression of Reno's sex-life—Rude had spoken with countless of his "lovers" and found that not a single one of them could remember actually having sex with the red-haired man. They'd _slept_ with him, awoken in various states of suggestive undress next to him, but could remember nothing of the assumed act itself.

Which made Reno a consummate actor on top of being a dangerous mob boss. But that had taken second burner to the knowledge that Reno was not to be worried about on that particular corner of the map…

But _now_ Rude worried.

He was missing something.

Things were _dangerous_ now. If Reno was to manage to seduce Yazoo then everything could be tipped on its side.

Rude might not be able to accomplish his mission.

He frowned, brows drawing close and large hands resting lightly on the back of the single chair in his kitchen.

Then again, Reno was rather famous for destroying everything good in his life one way or another. If he crushed Yazoo's heart then Rude would win. Rude could step in and finish things because she would _want_ it, then—she would be desperate to make it all stop hurting…

It rubbed him the wrong way to think of consciously stepping aside and allowing Yazoo to be emotionally harmed, but surely he could not be mistaken about what was happening. Even without a huge piece of the puzzle, surely this would work in his favor in the end? Just a little more patience, and he would have what he'd waited so long for, and he could return to his home victorious.

* * *

Zack worked harder on the floor than he probably needed to, going to the trouble of sanding it down and matching the new part to the older wood. It was good work, hard work that left him sweaty and his muscles aching, but it also gave him a way to focus himself while his thoughts sorted themselves out.

He was on thin ice here and he knew it. Reno was dangerous, cunning, and just happened to be his boss, even if Kadaj was the one who had hired him. Zack hadn't really intended to come to this city and find hostility straight off, but he hadn't liked Reno's arrogant attitude or the way he'd treated Kadaj—jerking someone around by their hair wasn't acceptable in even the most barbaric of countries, and it chafed his genteel country manners to see someone treated worse than an animal. He knew he shouldn't have gotten involved since Kadaj's business was his own, but the young man had been so earnest, so very hurt last night…right before he'd left with Reno.

Zack cursed a little, sanding another plank with unusual intensity.

He couldn't blame Kadaj—Reno had pulled a knife, what else was the younger man supposed to do? He'd placated his lover and kept blood from being shed, but it still _bothered_ Zack in his gut. He'd developed a soft spot for Kadaj almost overnight and he didn't like to see the cunning that matched Reno's own. Zack didn't know if Kadaj had slept in his bed last night because he'd truly been too unhappy to stay in Reno's, or if he'd slept in his bed hoping for a confrontation, hoping for Reno's jealous attention.

"Doesn't matter, Zack," he breathed, sitting back on his heels. "Don't get pulled into this again, buddy. Remember Gongaga? Remember how all that fell out?"

He wiped his sweaty brow and frowned, slapping stain on the wooden board and rubbing it down with a cloth. He tried his hardest not to think of Gongaga, yet here he was—barely two days into a new life and already on some mob boss's shit list with an eye for said mob boss's shady little kept boy.

"Good job, Zack," he growled, irritated with himself. "Way to fucking _go_. Get yourself in to the eyeballs and wonder why you're drowning…"

He finished the repair and gathered up his tools in a silence that was almost grim. He'd made a fool of himself with his kindness, he always had and this time was no exception. In all likelihood, Kadaj had just been using his bed as a way to goad his lover. Zack had to stop being so trusting, he had to stop thinking the best of people, stop trying to save everyone that life flung in his path—it was a road to miserable failure, _that's_ what it was. Chasing after Kadaj was just a guarantee that he would end up in a shallow ditch beneath the plate. As much as he wished the sincerity he'd seen from Kadaj was unfeigned, his senses warned him to not believe it…however much he may wish it was true.

* * *

Mei Li took her position very seriously.

Before Tseng had found her, she'd been nothing more than a paid companion, a painted whore living on the good graces of her House and drawing in pennies from older men and wild young ones. Tseng had collected her for his "friend", now Mei Li's beloved _wairen_. She was special, she was unique among her peers because she alone could fully satisfy her Reno's desires.

But if Tseng had said, "Do not go to him," she would certainly never have done so. Above all else, Tseng was the god of Dai Jiao—people lived and died upon his whim, and no fleeting, passionate interest of her lover could secure her a permanent position elsewhere. As much as she enjoyed Reno's company, she would never forsake the genteel customs of her home, and rather loathed this ugly city and its loud, lazy inhabitants.

And now he had said, "Watch him," had subtlety instructed her to kill a stranger if she could.

And she _would_, if she had the chance. Because Tseng _shifu_ was just that—Master to her minion.

She mused on these things as she rubbed lotion into her white skin, still warm from her long, hot bath. Though she was perched naked at the vanity, Tseng did not approach her. Theirs had never been a physical relationship, though he always paid homage to her beauty.

"He will be gone today," Tseng murmured, and watched her put up her heavy black hair. "Go and wait for him in his room."

"I will do as you wish, Tseng _shifu_," she breathed, concentrating on the intricate art of her hair.

"I will take care of Kadaj," Tseng said, and his brown eyes glittered with a light that had led to the death of Mei Li's best friend—where those glittering eyes landed with interest, nothing wholesome ever followed.

"Tseng _shifu_," she murmured, keeping her voice sweet and soft. "If I need you, what should I do?"

"You may call," Tseng told her, coming close to stroke her ivory shoulders, her delicate little neck. "Call and I will come. I merely loan you to the _wairen_, Mei Li—in your heart you belong to me."

She looked at him in the mirror, blinking slowly to hide the fear he instilled. How many times had she thanked the Gods that he had never once looked at her with lust in his eyes? How many times had she seen what his taste had led to in time? Nothing Tseng loved ever lived…perhaps such a strong emotion simply could not be borne by the fragile body of a human?

"Of course I do, master," she said, and placed a kiss on his hand to hide the emotions weaving their way like a veil over her smooth, painted face.


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey, look at you all part of the common herd," Reno remarked, whistling at Yazoo just to see him blush.

"Should I change?" Yazoo stammered, and started towards his dressing room. "I'll change—"

"Whoa, hold it," Reno said, catching his wrist and halting him. "You look great, you're dressed just fine, Cateyes. You ready for some fun today?"

Yazoo nodded a little, smiling at him. He couldn't help but feel like it looked nervous, and he mentally scolded himself for being such a little girl instead of the mature woman he needed to be.

"Where's the gorilla?" Reno asked, looking around Yazoo's suite. He was dressed as he usually was for a comfortable day—his frayed at the bottom jeans, an untucked and sleeves-rolled-back dress shirt, and a pair of sunglasses holding back his spiky red hair. Yazoo noticed that he'd worn a tee shirt beneath his unbuttoned shirt, probably since it was still a bit cool outside.

"I told him I'd be safe with you," Yazoo said to him, and wondered why he sounded so silly suddenly. And why Reno's sparkling blue eyes seemed more piercing somehow, as if sensing his discomfort and the reason for it.

"You always have been," the man said, cocking his head a little and smirking. "You okay? You look a little nervous."

"I'm fine!" Yazoo insisted, his hand fluttering up to his throat in a gesture of long habit—any time he was anxious, he would reach up and fiddle with whatever choker he happened to be wearing…Which today was _none_, so his fingers brushed over the bare skin of his throat.

Reno's eyes followed the movement and he said, "I don't think I've ever seen you without a choker on, Cateyes."

Yazoo dropped his hand and said, "Well, I don't really have one that goes with this outfit." He finished with a blush, recalling how Marlene had said his long throat was one of his best features and the origin of the nickname the general public had for him.

Reno just laughed and said, "Come on, let's get in the car before you pass out."

Yazoo laughed with him, sighing a little and saying, "I don't know what's gotten into me! I'm being silly!"

Reno took his arm as they went down the stairs and out to the waiting car. Once they were settled and on their way, the man reached down into a backpack on the floor and pulled out a worn baseball cap. He eyed Yazoo a moment and said, "Here, try this on."

Yazoo wrinkled his nose and took it, saying, "Reno, I really don't think—"

"Just what I like in my women," Reno interrupted, making Yazoo laugh with horrified shock. He took the cap from Yazoo and settled it firmly on his head, unsnapping the back to feed Yazoo's ponytail through and snapping it again. He settled back and took in his handiwork with a satisfied smile, saying, "Nobody will recognize you _now_. No way the Cetran Swan would be caught dead wearing an old ballcap, huh?"

"So, this is your idea of a…_disguise_?" Yazoo laughed, adjusting the bill a little.

"Nah, it's to keep the sun off your face," Reno said, and lit a cigarette. "Bet you ain't ever been down to have good old fashioned fun, huh?"

Yazoo shook his head, not sure of Reno's meaning, but he was sure he'd never been to do such a thing.

"Well, first we gotta get out of Midgar," Reno said, blowing smoke out of the cracked window.

"How do we do that? By car it would take hours just to hit the suburbs," Yazoo said, and wriggled the hat a little to get it more comfortably situated.

Reno turned to look at him with those sparkling blue eyes and grinned widely, saying, "Easy, baby—we _fly_."

* * *

Yuffie flopped back on the settee in her dressing room with a dramatic sigh that would've done Genesis proud just hours before during rehearsal.

"God, why do I do this to myself?" she moaned.

"Because we both just don't know when to say no," Genesis lamented, flopping next to her. "God, who knew a 500 Gil bottle of wine would leave such a hangover?"

Yuffie snorted a little and said, "I don't think it was the wine, Genesis—maybe the shots we did at The Brink afterwards, or the absinthe at Siderunners or—"

"Alright, _alright_! I get it!" Genesis said, shushing her. "We maybe enjoyed ourselves a little more than we should have…How are things coming with your painter friend?"

"Reeve?" Yuffie asked, as if she had a _load_ of painter friends all waiting in the wings. "He's fine. He's excited about his show. I hope Yazoo hasn't forgotten, she's been a little distracted lately."

"Aren't we all?" Genesis murmured, and thought about the one that got away. "Can you believe that little piece of ass actually turned me down?"

"Oh, are you _still_ on that?!" Yuffie laughed. "That was like a million years ago!"

"It was last night!" Genesis reminded, his expression one of grave offense.

"Well…since we had a great rehearsal and neither one of us was late," Yuffie said, her voice coaxing. "Want to hit the town? I got some money from my old man today."

"Darling, I have money of my own, thank _you_!" Genesis said, his nose in the air. "But you're absolutely right! Let's go pick up your painter friend and troll the backstreets to see if we can't find some interesting and dangerous new friends."

Yuffie laughed but got up when he tugged at her hand, willingly going along with anything Genesis could think of.

* * *

Kadaj was on his way to find Zack when he was stopped by the idiotic and much-loathed Neala.

"Kadaj, that man from Dai Jiao is waiting in the office," she said, stuttering it out nervously in a way that made Kadaj roll his eyes. Honestly, if people weren't your thing, don't accept a position dealing with them! "He said he needs to see you."

Kadaj hesitated, looking down the hallway towards Zack's suite. He knew the man wasn't in there, but he felt the need to track him down and maybe explain himself a little. It was a new feeling for Kadaj, who had never felt the need to explain himself in his life.

"Thank you, Neala," he said, and reluctantly left off his intended search to go down to Reno's office.

Tseng was standing next to the desk, his body forming a graceful, relaxed line. He always looked so poised, so unruffled, as if nothing life ever sent his way was unexpected or undesired.

He turned slightly to look at Kadaj, a soft smile on his lips.

Kadaj felt the familiar tug in his gut that was somehow linked to Tseng and all of the danger he radiated—powerful and frightening, yet he wanted Kadaj…far more than _Reno_ did.

With a pang he thought of Zack. Zack was kind and gentle, earnest and clearly not someone to indulge in a casual fling…

And then there was Tseng, with those glittering dark eyes and his secretive smile and his hints that a life of unknown luxury and happiness lay in Dai Jiao. Of the two, Tseng was more blatantly seductive, intent on making Kadaj his own.

Zack wasn't even willing to sleep with him.

"My Jewel," the man purred, interrupting Kadaj's tangled thoughts. "I had hoped to spirit you away from the endless drudgery Reno has sentenced you to. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me?"

Kadaj's heart picked up a little, the repressed teenager inside him responding to Tseng's perception of his plight. It was pleasant to be appreciated, pleasant to be considered so hard-working and of such high value…

Cocking his head, Kadaj asked, "What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Zack was coming in just as Kadaj came out of Reno's house, striding smoothly along next to some stranger. He was a rather tall, blade-thin Wutain man with pale white skin and dark, dangerous eyes.

Zack paused, surprised to see the youth so casual with someone who clearly meant trouble. The Wutain man aimed an icy glare at Zack that lifted the hairs on the nape of his neck and sent a chill down his spine. He didn't even _know_ this guy, so what the crap?

The man slid into the car and pulled Kadaj after him.

"Kadaj!" Zack called, concerned. He knew the kid didn't need protection, didn't need _him_, but he trotted to the car anyway, peering down into the lowered window.

"Zack, I was looking for you," Kadaj said, and that man's hand was resting on his long thigh, fingers curled slightly to the shape of the muscle. "Don't worry about being fired, Reno won't bother you—I'll make sure of it. There's a problem with one of the stoves down at Reno's new restaurant, so do you think you could go take care of it for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Zack said, absently noticing that Kadaj's accent was more pronounced, sharper. Like the obedient little handyman he claimed to be, he nodded and tried not to be disturbed by the Wutain man having his hands all over Kadaj. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," Kadaj said, and, oddly enough added, "I'm sorry."

Zack frowned and straightened as the window slid closed and the car pulled off.

Sorry. What good had _that_ ever done anyone? And sorry for _what_? For pretending to be distressed? For being a fickle teenager? Or sorry that Zack was so easy a mark?

Sighing, the man situated his tools over his other shoulder and headed up the steps to the house, nearly bumping into a woman as he entered.

"Excuse me," he murmured, surprised when she uttered a floating little laugh and latched onto his bicep.

"Excuse _me_," she purred, and her throaty voice was unmistakably Wutain, the accent unique amongst all others. Her intricately coifed hair was the blue-black of a raven's wing and set off with dangling jade pieces and heavy pearls. Her small, heart-shaped face and high, round cheeks gave her an ageless, little-girl quality that Zack had to guard against at once. He was too much a protector not to respond to someone so fragile and delicate, so doll-like. "I am needing to see Reno."

"He's out today, I think," he said, blushing because he couldn't help but notice she was incredibly stacked for such a little thing…though she actually wasn't that _short_, she just seemed small. Those traditional robes only emphasized the bird-like quality to her, the delicacy of her.

"Accept my apology," she said, and smiled at him, her dark brown eyes twinkling. "I am Mei Li, I am an old friend of his. I have come a long way to see him…could you show me his room, please?"

Zack hesitated.

If Kadaj came back and found this little doll in Reno's room he would flip his shit and probably hurt her.

"I can't, I'm sorry," he said. "You wouldn't be safe there. He has a lover who is rather…possessive. He would hurt you."

Her smile widened and she purred, "I assure you, I am not as helpless as I look. I can take care of myself."

Zack sincerely doubted that. But then, if _he_ didn't show her to Reno's room, then someone else here certainly would.

"I think the door is locked," he said in one last bid to stop her.

"I have a key," Mei Li said, and touched one of the pins in her hair with a mischievous smile.

Zack sighed but smiled back, saying, "Alright, I'll show you. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"I would never dream of falsely accusing such a kind man," she laughed, and took his offered arm.

* * *

Reeve _definitely_ did not think that this was a good idea.

"Yuffie," he said, hesitantly, in case Genesis overheard him—he'd only just met the rather intimidating and theatrical director this afternoon and wasn't quite sure if the man was safe (sane) or not. They'd already done a tour of the slummiest bars in Midgar, and the other two were well on their way to being trashed.

"Oh, stop _worrying_!" Yuffie giggled, and dragged him down the cobbled street while Reeve glanced anxiously around. This was the _bad_ part of Midgar, the part that was the gateway to the slums below and home to all types of shady characters, almost all of whom answered to one or another of the infamous Reno's lieutenants. How in the world was he _not_ supposed to worry! "Here, look, Genesis! We've never been in this bar before, have we?"

Genesis came strutting up to take Yuffie's other arm and grandly said, "Darling, I dare say neither one of us would even _consider_ this place were the others not so unutterably _dull_! Let's go in!"

"Not a good idea!" Reeve squeaked, but was unceremoniously dragged past several hulking, frightening looking bouncers and into the smoky, dimly lit bar.

"Shots all around!" Genesis shouted, and every single scary patron shouted hoarse cheers, immediately accepting of the obviously privileged duo in their midst…and the lone, paint-speckled artist.

Reeve accepted the shot that Yuffie shoved into his hand and drank it down, wincing when it did nothing to help the anxiety burning in his gut. He wished he was back in his studio, working on that painting he was having such trouble with…he wished he was in his cozy hotel room doing _sudoku_ and having pleasant daydreams about what Yuffie was up to when he wasn't around—the reality wasn't all that attractive, though it made _her_ no less so.

"So, Reeve, Yuffie tells me that you're an absolutely _fabulous_ painter," Genesis said, and gave him a smile that made Reeve retreat a little against the bartop. It was a little predatory and unconsciously seductive and it bewildered Reeve because he'd honestly thought—to hear _Yuffie_ talk—that Genesis was her lover.

"Uhm…I…" he snatched another shot off of the bar and gulped it. "I wouldn't say that. My paintings do well with certain patrons, but otherwise remain obscure."

"Don't belittle yourself!" Yuffie laughed, and hugged him.

Reeve blushed. He tried to pretend it was the booze but he knew better.

And, apparently, from the way Genesis's gaze narrowed, _he_ knew better, too.

"My, my," he purred, and sidled up to Reeve's other side so that he was, essentially, sandwiched between two unpredictable and possibly insane queens of melodrama. "Do I sense _romance _in the air?"

Reeve buried his face in a mug of beer conveniently left on the bar, cheeks flaming.

"Romance?! _Where_?" Yuffie asked, and suddenly screeched as a song came over the speakers. "Genesis! _I love this song_! Let's go dance! Come on, Reeve, you, too!"

"No, I do—"

Despite his protests, Reeve was pulled by one and pushed by the other out onto the bare wooden floor that served as a dance space.

He wondered if his night could get any worse…

"Hey? Weren't you the girl who pulled a strip tease out on 5th street last weekend?"

Reeve realized with dismay that he had not knocked on wood.

* * *

Yazoo stared in awe at the helicopter sitting on the tarmac, his mouth parted and his eyes wide.

"What do you think?" Reno asked, smiling at Yazoo's obvious awe. "You ever seen anything like her before?"

"No, never," Yazoo said, and touched his throat again when he glanced at Reno.

Reno knew that gesture, he'd known Yazoo long enough to have all of his little quirks memorized. Things where moving steadily along and he was pretty sure Rufus would get what he wanted in the end.

And so would _he_.

"Come on, let's get going," he said, and led Yazoo around to help him in. He hopped in at his usual, comfortable spot and leaned over to buckle Yazoo into the seat, hiding his smirk at the way the younger man started at the brush of his fingers, his big green eyes wild and scared. He handed him a headset and put his own on, starting all of the preflight checks and making his clearances. When he got the okay, he turned his head to look at Yazoo and asked, "You ready?"

Yazoo held his hands over the earpieces, unused to the roar of the rotors and trying to hear Reno's voice over the headphones. With an uncertain and terribly vulnerable look he nodded, trusting Reno to keep him safe because he'd never had any reason _not_ to.

Reno eased the bird off of the ground and got them up high over the city, laughing aloud at the stark excitement he saw on Yazoo's face.

"Oh my gosh! It's _beautiful_!" he breathed, his voice coming over loud and clear in all of its purring, husky glory. He leaned forward, straining to see more, and Reno tilted her, making Yazoo squeal a little in startlement, his laughter bubbling and light.

Reno laughed with him and settled into a regular flight, no more games. He didn't care to take chances with Yazoo's safety…ironic, considering what he planned on _doing_ to Yazoo.

It was a pretty short flight to get them to the next metropolis over—far enough away that they wouldn't be noticed immediately, but still close enough to have everything Reno was looking for. He settled the helicopter and shut everything down, waiting until the rotors were completely still before he helped Yazoo unbuckle himself and get out.

"Where are we?" Yazoo asked, small hands on his shoulders as Reno grabbed him around his tiny waist and eased him down. He was too intrigued by the new scenery to get flustered by Reno's hands on him, and didn't seem to notice when they lingered, feeling the faint ripple of stays that kept him such a perfect hourglass shape.

"Kalm," he said, and kept one hand on the small of Yazoo's back, urging him towards a car he'd ordered to be waiting for them. "You've never left Midgar?"

Yazoo shook his head, looking even _younger_ in that ballcap, his high cheeks blushing soft pink when he realized that Reno was still touching him.

"No," he said, his voice tremulous but his smile earnest. "I've only ever been to Midgar. Rufus went on our honeymoon to Costa del Sol by himself…well, without _me_, I guess is a better way to put it."

Reno let him look around, taking in the high hills and the rows of houses, the ocean beyond and the skyline _not_ riddled with smog. After a moment Yazoo looked at him and smiled that big, unrestrained smile of his, asking, "Where to now?"

"You act like _this_ was the best part!" Reno teased, and led him to the car, settling him in and closing the door.

Yazoo looked concerned as Reno got in next to him behind the driver's wheel, his large green eyes flicking around, probably searching for bodyguards.

"You're driving?" he asked, and touched his swan-like throat again.

"Yep," Reno answered, and lit a cigarette, lounging back in the seat and heading off of the small airfield.

"But…What about protection?" Yazoo asked.

"What, like condoms?" Reno teased, and laughed when Yazoo blushed violently, but the slender man gamely said, "_No_, like _bodyguards_!"

"You're safe with me," Reno reminded him. He didn't tell Yazoo that they would be tailed, that he ran this town, that everyone here knew him and knew to keep the fuck away. Yazoo needed to feel like he was away from watchful eyes, to let his guard down, to allow himself to relax.

And Reno could make that happen.

"Sit back and relax," he said, smiling when Yazoo subsided against the seat, a soft, content smile stealing over his gorgeous face and wispy tendrils of silver hair fluttering against his cheek in the draft from the cracked window. "I got you, Yazoo—you'll be okay."

Those jade green eyes flicked over to him and back out at the road, but his smile deepened and his pulse ticked hard in his lovely, swan-like throat.

* * *

**A/N:** Next week's will focus only on Reno and Yazoo's day out with a breaker of Reeve's Adventures in No No Land. Everything else will pick up again after that. I think I need at least one full episode devoted to those two things to keep the ball rolling. Just wanted to give fair warning :D

**And for anyone interested, Season Two is now up at my livejournal account!**


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey? Weren't you the girl who pulled a strip tease out on 5th street last weekend?"

Yuffie spun around, wobbling drunkenly, one hand on Reeve's shoulder to steady her.

"Who wants to know?" she demanded, and Genesis kept dancing, ignoring the whole thing.

"Just saw you and thought you was pretty cute," the man said, clearly not the brightest bulb.

Yuffie glowered at him and Reeve tugged on her shirt, saying over the music, "Just ignore him, Yuffie, please? Okay?"

She pulled away and stood toe to toe with the much larger man, her face set in a stubborn pout as she said, "Oh yeah? Who do you think you are, talking to someone like me? _Huh_? You some kind of hotshot? You some drop-dead gorgeous man?"

Reeve flushed, for some reason taking her drunken "must" list personally. Not that he'd ever hoped…well, he'd _hoped_, but Yuffie had been studiously unresponsive. Maybe now he knew why—he was certainly no hotshot, and he was anything but drop-dead gorgeous, he was actually jus—

Yuffie suddenly stumbled back into him and Reeve caught her, aghast because that man had actually _hit_ her!

_Hit_ her!

"Now, that was just uncalled for!" Genesis cried, hands on hips. "Come here, dearest! Let's leave this nasty place! The music is awful anyway."

Yuffie bounced back and got in the man's face, snarling, "That's right, _asshole_! People like you can't _touch_ people like me unless it's to hit them! So you just enjoy that, fucknut! You can jerk off to it when you get home!"

She flounced around in a huff, her gait dangerously unsteady, completely unknowing that the man's face pulled into a fierce scowl and he lunged for her.

Reeve didn't really think about what he was getting himself into, he just leapt in his path and swung his fist, gaping at it in stark shock when the man grunted and dropped to the ground, moaning. He'd never hit another person in his _life_! He couldn't believe he'd _done_ that!

"Hey! You can't beat up on Edgar! Let's get that fucker!"

Reeve quailed to see the entire left side of the bar get up, coming towards him with obvious menace.

"My hero!" Yuffie giggled, and slumped against Genesis, who hefted her bridal-style and said, "We'd best get out of here."

Reeve swallowed hard and backed up a step, whispering, "That's the best idea you've had all day long."

* * *

Yazoo stared at the passing scenery with contented happiness. He'd never in his life ridden in the front seat of a vehicle, and it was heady to see so much of the city open up before him. He didn't even pay attention to where Reno was driving them, he was too absorbed in watching the bustling metropolis pass him by.

"You like Wutai?" Reno asked, distracting him.

Yazoo glanced over, vaguely envious of the easy, relaxed way he handled the car and how confident he was with all of its mysterious indicators.

"As in food?"

"As in the _place_," Reno said, and chuckled.

Yazoo shrugged a little and said, "I suppose so. I've never been. I don't see why I _wouldn't_."

"Perfect," Reno said, and pulled into a parking garage, leaving a pass in the windshield and fetching another ballcap from the backseat. He exchanged his sunglasses for it and grinned at Yazoo, asking, "Ready to go?"

Yazoo nodded, smiling and excited. Even just _this_ much was fantastic! He'd never gone out without some sort of muscle watching over him, out to just stroll the streets and enjoy the fresh air. Even Rude, as beloved and as unobtrusive as he was, still was a reminder that Yazoo was always _Mrs. ShinRa_—never just _Yazoo_.

"Did you have something specific in mind?" Yazoo asked, nearly bubbling over with excitement. He couldn't even put his finger on _why_ he felt so happy, he just…_did_. Maybe it was the freedom he felt being away from Midgar, or maybe just the chance to see things as a normal person—either way, he felt almost ridiculously unfettered, and there was a bounce in his step as he walked alongside Reno, his delicate hand resting on the tiny purse slung diagonally across his body.

"Man, Cateyes, I always thought you were taller," Reno teased, striding out into the strong sunlight and leading Yazoo down the sidewalk.

"It's the heels," Yazoo said, smiling at him. He always liked when Reno was playful instead of cutting, and hoped that things would not spiral down and end with the man making a sharp, snide remark to him. It had been known to happen.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Reno said, his grin widening.

They turned a corner onto a clogged street, people shouting and shoving and darting everywhere, busy as ants.

Startled, Yazoo scooted closer to Reno and didn't resist when the man took his hand and held it with strong, warm fingers. There were people _everywhere_, and they all appeared to be Wutain.

"Welcome to Little Wutai," Reno said, laughing at Yazoo's shock. "Just relax, Cateyes, you'll be okay. They got all kinds of shops and stuff around here, I thought you'd like to see a little something other than boring old Midgar."

Delighted, Yazoo gazed around at the foreign architecture of the buildings, at the lovely people milling around everywhere—even in the streets themselves! The signs were all in Wutain, the shop doors were flung wide, there were even street vendors somehow able to do business in this anthill of activity.

Together, the two of them made their way down one side of the street, stopping to look in a few of the shops where Yazoo instantly fell in love with all of the gorgeous, exotic little statues and beautiful clothes. After a few hours he wasn't even bothered by the impersonal press of bodies around him, and he dared to try his hand at haggling when Reno offered to translate for him.

As they were heading up the road for more browsing, they were caught in the middle of a street performance of a Dragon Dance. Yazoo was "kissed" by one of the accompanying Fu Lions, mostly because he and Reno had been on the curb at the time and were damned-near right in the middle the entire production. Yazoo was delighted to be singled out by the dog-like "lion" with its shaggy, wild red mane that looked a little like Reno's hair. In fact, the lion loomed into Reno's face and shook its head comically, much to the loud amusement of the bystanders. Reno shook his head back, grinning, and the lion danced off, twisting and leaping as the two acrobats within the costume flaunted their amazing skill.

"You having fun?" Reno asked, shouting over the loud crash of cymbals and the riotous music.

"The time of my life!" Yazoo called, and truly, truly meant it. He'd never had such an experience before, and he would always be grateful to Reno for giving him such a day to remember.

* * *

Through some interference on serendipity's part, they managed to get out of the bar and out of the vicinity without any casualties…mainly due to Reeve tossing some cash down on the floor as a distraction. He thought that crap only happened in the movies, but he hadn't hesitated when it had actually _worked_, and the two of them (plus one passed-out Princess) had made like little rabbits, scurrying for the safety of Anywhere Else.

Halfway down the road, Genesis gave out on him, half-dropping Yuffie and slumping against a conveniently placed light-pole to dramatically declare, "I can't go on! I just _can't_! Leave me here, save yourself! And my little Rose…"

Bewildered, Reeve glanced around but saw no imminent danger to them.

"Uhm, I think we all can make it," he encouraged, and picked Yuffie up, slinging her onto his hip like a kid because, frankly, bridal-style sucked and was hell on his back. He pulled Genesis's arm over his shoulder and put the man's hand on Yuffie's head, saying, "Let's go, come on. I've got money enough for a cab."

"You're so kind," Genesis wept, tearing up prettily, leaning on Reeve to steady himself. "What would we have done without you, Reeve?"

"Er…played checkers?" he offered, alluding to one of his more tame daydreams of life with Yuffie. He'd never imagined her to be such a party animal.

He wasn't sure he liked that side of her.

"I beg your pardon?" Genesis asked, aghast. "_Checkers_? Oh, you silly man! You're so adorable!"

Reeve glowered when Genesis ruffled his hair, but it wasn't like it could get any messier, so he didn't bother with it.

"I'm so _tired_!" Genesis declared, and Yuffie let out a soft snore, putting her two cents in.

Reeve frantically hailed a taxi, ready to call it a day and get some rest despite the fact that it was barely after one. This afternoon had been like a _nightmare_.

And he was pretty sure it wasn't over yet.

* * *

After lunch they returned to the car and put away Yazoo's purchases before Reno drove him around the city, pointing out sights that Yazoo had never seen so close—the magnificent bridges, the formidable and stately buildings, the parks and wharfs. There was so much to see that he was nearly overwhelmed by it, and Reno ruefully realized that he should've done this much sooner. Even _knowing_ how shut away Yazoo was hadn't make him understand the extent of his solitude, and seeing him laughing in delight at a horse-drawn carriage or pointing in excitement at a street-side art show made Reno a little pissed off with Rufus. It wasn't that the man had ever forbidden Yazoo from taking trips or going places, it was that Yazoo had no one to go with and it never occurred to him to go alone. His friends would never have dreamed of imposing by asking him on a day-long trip, so he'd spent the vast majority of nine years in a very small, very exclusive part of Midgar.

Reno would've lost his fucking mind.

"Reno," Yazoo said, and turned from the window to smile at him, a completely unselfconscious smile that lit his face up from within. "Thank you so much for today! I never knew a city could be so fun! Does Midgar have a Little Wutai?"

"Not the size of Kalm's," Reno said, switching lanes and heading for the nearby park. "And not nearly as fun, but there _is_ one."

"Oh," Yazoo said, and seemed to deflate a little. "That's too bad, I really liked it there."

Reno glanced at him and teased, "You act like you'll never see it again, Cateyes! I'll take you whenever you want, baby, you just gotta ask."

"Really?" Yazoo breathed, elated. "_Thank_ you! I'd _love_ to go back!"

"Well, right now, would you _love_ to hit some baseballs?"

Yazoo cocked his head, questions in his big green eyes.

"There's some batting cages at the park, I thought you might like to try it out," he explained. "Great stress reliever, I go once a week."

"Is it fun?" Yazoo asked, dubious.

"Yeah, of course!" Reno laughed, and pulled into the special parking space reserved for him. "Come on, let's grab a cage!"

* * *

They _finally_ made it back to Reeve's place—the cozy little hotel room he rented by the month. He plopped Yuffie down on the bed and rubbed his head, wincing as a headache came to roaring life right in his temples.

Yuffie woke up then, bleary and giggly, yanking the exhausted Genesis down next to her so that the two of them utterly hogged Reeve's rather small bed.

"You saved me!" she cried, and giggled again, clinging to Genesis when the man loudly echoed, "You saved _me_, too! Our hero!"

"Yeah, I guess," Reeve muttered, wishing he had some aspirin. Clearly he could not expect to sleep in his own bed tonight, and that was the capper of a disappointing day.

"You okay, Reeve?" Yuffie asked, realizing through her drunkenness that he was anything but pleased.

"Fine, I just…my head is hurting," he said. "I probably just need some water."

Yuffie looked at Genesis.

Genesis smiled.

Very casually, he said, "I have something that's good for headaches, Reeve, if you'd like one."

Cautious, Reeve didn't accept, just asked, "One what?"

"Just aspirin," the man said, and smiled at him, all innocence. "It's fine, I take it all of the time—it does _wonders_ for my head when it hurts."

Yuffie giggled again.

Sensing that all was not well but too tired out by his day and his headache to care, Reeve nodded a little and said, "Yeah, okay. If you think it will help…"

"Oh, darling," Genesis purred, and fished out a small, metal pill-box from his flowing coat. He gave Reeve a wink and offered him a tiny, aspirin-looking pill, saying, "I think in your case, this will work _miracles_."

* * *

Yazoo sat on the warm bench and soaked in the caressing sunlight, enjoying the sight of Reno swinging away at the baseballs shot at him by a tall and intimidating machine. Each one went flying straight back at it with a loud crack like a gunshot, the man's body twisting gracefully with the force of his swing. He was panting from exertion, but it was too cool outside for him to break a sweat.

"You wanna give it a go?" Reno asked, eyes sparkling.

Feeling adventurous after his amazing day, Yazoo eagerly nodded and slipped into the cage with him while Reno fiddled with some controls to the pitching machine.

"Okay, I'm a lefty, but I'll try to show you the other way," Reno told him, handing him the bat. The wood was warm to the touch, smooth and polished from thousands of shaping hands.

Gingerly, Yazoo hefted it and took up a position as Reno instructed, nervous. The machine actually pitched them quite quickly, and he didn't want to get beaten up by flying baseballs.

"Ready? Go for it!"

The ball came flying at him.

Yazoo yipped a little and averted his face, lifting the bat, the force of the baseball knocking it backwards and almost taking him with it. He laughed breathlessly, surprised but pleased that he'd managed to connect with the ball in the first place, even if it was by accident.

"You hit like a girl!" Reno teased. "Here, look, you gotta stand—no, here. Hang on."

He moved up behind Yazoo and covered his hands on the bat, lifting it so that Yazoo had no choice but to follow.

"Crouch down a little," Reno said, and Yazoo blushed because he was practically _sitting_ on Reno, his own body flush against the other man's so that he was acutely aware of his warmth and the ripple of muscle behind him. He'd had no idea that Reno was so fit, and it was quite shocking to be so close to him, especially in such a way.

Nestled one into the other like a pair of spoons, Yazoo realized with a start that he didn't mind it.

Not at all.

"Would you _relax_? Come on, just trust me—we'll sling it back so fast that net won't know what hit it."

Yazoo giggled a little and took a deep breath as the machine pitched another baseball.

He felt Reno tense a little behind him, felt his hands tighten just a bit, and suddenly the man moved in a flurry of lithe muscle, twisting with a soft sound of effort and taking Yazoo with him.

That loud, gunshot-crack sounded again and Yazoo laughed aloud to see the ball go smashing into the back net.

"Don't get too cocky," Reno teased. "You got five more balls to go."

Just as he finished, the second ball came at them and Yazoo couldn't stop laughing because if he did he'd think too much about the warm body at his back, about the strong chest against his shoulder-blades, about the lean, bunching muscle of the belly against his long spine, about the tight thighs supporting his or the strong arms around him.

"Hey, you're making me do all the work here!" Reno laughed, shaking his arms a bit so that he shook Yazoo's. "You awake? Swing with me, now—show that pitcher who's boss."

Yazoo concentrated and swung at the next with him, delighted when they hit it, though he knew it was Reno's own coordination that made it possible. Yazoo had never been allowed to play sports for fear he would end up too masculine, so he knew his hand-eye coordination was not what it should be for this.

"You did great, Cateyes," Reno praised once the last ball had been slammed back into the net. "You got quite an arm."

He dropped his hands but stayed standing snugly against Yazoo's back, tugging playfully on his jaunty ponytail.

"Don't!" Yazoo cried, laughing and half turning, lifting the bat a little in threat.

Only, he was too close.

_Far_ too close.

Yazoo blinked, freezing like a deer in headlights. Unconsciously, his full mouth parted just a little, his heart speeding up in his chest and threatening to deafen him because the man was just a scant inch away, so close that Yazoo could feel the warmth of his breath against his mouth.

In a split second thousands of thoughts tore through Yazoo's mind—would Reno kiss him? Would he allow it? Was the man just playing with him? Was this just an unintentional situation or was Reno himself hoping for a kiss? Did the man even _see_ him that way? Had he forgotten what Yazoo really was? Did he even _care_?

Did Yazoo have any of his lunch stuck in his teeth?

He nearly bolted, but Reno's arm slid around him and he gently took the bat, that too-close mouth murmuring, "Never threaten a notorious mobster, Cateyes."

"Entrepreneur," he corrected, his voice weak. He wished and hoped and feared that it was going to happen, Reno was going to kiss him, and it made his knees threaten to buckle, made his pulse go crazy and his eyes grow cloudy.

Reno leaned closer…

…and turned away, slinging the bat up onto his shoulder as he said, "Come on, let's get you home."

Yazoo was too surprised and bewildered to move, he just stood rooted to the spot with his eyes huge and his hands trembling a little. A split second later he blushed, embarrassed and unable to hide it.

Had he done something wrong? No, he hadn't done _anything_ wrong except be born a boy, and he chided himself for his childish daydreams. It was just a crush, as Yuffie put it—he'd get over it. Of _course_ Reno wasn't interested in him like that, he'd never been more than a friend. The reason he could be so comfortable with Yazoo was because he didn't think about him as a…a lover.

"You coming?" Reno asked, pausing at the cage door and looking back, his grin wide and easy.

Yazoo nodded a little and hurried after him, scolding himself for his silliness and trying to ignore the deep disappointment he felt.

* * *

Reno actually felt a little bad about it.

Yazoo was quiet on the way back to the airfield, and not even the helicopter ride home brought out the same level of awed excitement. He seemed worried about something and even a little sad, and Reno was pretty sure he knew why.

His plan today had been more successful than he'd dared hope, and he'd based it all on one thing he'd noticed about him—Rufus gave him diamonds when all Yazoo wanted was pearls.

It was a weird thing to notice, but it made sense, and Reno's plan played right off of that. Yazoo had fancy restaurants to go to, attended gala events, was able to rub elbows with the upper crust and laugh with the best of them. But no one had ever taken him to eat Spicy Chocobo and broccoli in Little Wutai, no one had gone with him out on the streets where regular people were too busy doing their business to either know or care that a celebrity was in their midst. He had all the diamonds he wanted back home, so Reno offered him pearls—a day of regular fun, no stress and no worries, something so common that a common person wouldn't even call it a date, just a day out. But it meant something to Yazoo, and that was what he'd hoped for.

Had he been anybody else, Reno would've kissed him at the batting cages, but Yazoo wasn't just anybody. He wanted to make good memories for him, because when it all fell apart then he would have something to remember and look back on…no matter how much he might hate Reno then.

"You doing okay?" he asked, riding in the back seat of the car on the trip back to Yazoo's house. They were back on normal terms again, back on their home turf, and Reno could feel the change in Yazoo from carefree to restrained.

"I'm fine," Yazoo quietly answered, and smiled a little at him. "I'm just…I'm silly sometimes."

Reno smiled at him and said, "I don't think you're silly."

"You would if you could read my thoughts," Yazoo said, and tried to make it sound light, but it didn't. He looked back out of the window and seemed diminished somehow, smaller.

They arrived at the ShinRa residence and the guard riding shotgun got out to collect Yazoo's many purchases.

Yazoo started to get out but stopped with the door open, saying with a little laugh, "Oh! I almost forgot! Your cap!"

Reno stayed his busy hands and said, "You keep it, Cateyes."

Yazoo gave him a questioning look, pausing.

Reno chucked him under the chin and laughed, "I know it ain't diamonds, but I love that cap to pieces, so take care of it for me."

"I will," Yazoo said, and blushed, pleased. "I don't really care for diamonds anyway."

"Pearls," Reno said, and smiled when Yazoo started. "Everything in that suite of yours is either pearlescent or draped with pearls, Yazoo."

"I didn't think anyone noticed," he answered, reluctant to get out of the car.

Reno kept his fingers crossed that he was playing his cards right, and gently said, "I notice everything about you, Cateyes, I always have…"

Yazoo bit his lip to keep from smiling, but couldn't hide it when Reno kissed his hand—a standard gesture somehow changed from what it had been. Reno let his lips linger on Yazoo's skin, holding his fingers tight and feeling them squeeze back ever so slightly. Lifting his eyes, he said, "Let me take you to dinner tomorrow. We'll make sure nobody bugs us."

Unable to reply, Yazoo simply nodded, lingering, a questioning air about him.

"I wanted to, Cateyes," Reno said, startling him.

Yazoo looked at him in bewilderment, cocking his head so that part of his ponytail brushed over his shoulder.

"Back at the cages," Reno clarified, and smiled softly when Yazoo blushed.

Nothing more really needed to be said.

Yazoo got out, letting Reno lead him to the door in silence. Once the guard had put his packages inside and retreated back to the car, Yazoo said a quiet goodbye and closed the door.

But from the pink in his cheeks and the sparkle in his eyes, it was just a matter of time.

Reno lit a cigarette and loped back to the car, smugly assured of his own success.


	20. Chapter 20

By the time that Zack had escorted Mei Li to Reno's suite he'd noticed something about her that he couldn't figure out. In fact, it utterly bewildered him and he kept thinking that he must be wrong, that his observation skills were slipping or something because it just _couldn't_ be…

"Thank you," she said, her little-girl voice light with a soft giggle. "Would you keep an eye out while I unlock the door?"

"Yeah, sure," Zack said, distracted by what he was puzzling out here.

She knelt gracefully, drawing a pin from her hair and inserting it into the lock with a look of utter concentration. A moment later she removed a second pin and fiddled a little before there was a soft click.

"There we are," she sighed, smiling and tucking the pins neatly back into her elaborately coiled hair.

Zack held out his hand and she took it, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"You are a kind man," she said, blinking those large, languid eyes at him, a smile curving her painted and full red mouth.

"Please don't go in there," Zack breathed. Whoever she really was, he didn't want to see her hurt, and the idea of Reno with someone this delicate was just horrifying.

"I must," she said, and didn't sound worried or upset. "Come, you keep me company."

Zack hesitated, unsure.

"He's gone for the day, isn't he?" she asked, urging him. "You come keep me company for awhile, and we will talk. You are a kind man, I am interested in why that is so."

She swung the door open onto Reno's massive, opulent suite and stepped inside, looking over her shoulder at Zack.

He hesitated another moment, glancing around, and then followed her, closing the door softly behind him.

"You seem to be uneasy," Mei Li remarked, pausing at the bird cages to coo at one of the twittering, excited denizens.

Zack laughed a little and said, "Yeah, well, I've effectively broken into my boss's private rooms and now I'm hanging out in here—sorry if I'm a little on edge."

She turned from the cage and smiled at him, cocking her head and asking, "Do _I_ make you nervous?"

"Why would you?" Zack asked, bewildered.

"I think you've already guessed," she said, and drifted closer. "You are the first person I have ever met who was able to guess so quickly…"

Zack blushed a little and said, "It's none of my concern, Mei Li. I'm trained to notice details—"

He cut off abruptly and she smiled again, cocking her head a little the other direction and saying, "Interesting choice of words. You certainly are an enigma, aren't you?"

"I try not to be," Zack said, his voice stiff. "Not anymore."

"Hm." She made her way to one of the plush benches next to a supporting marble statue and gracefully seated herself, patting the cushion next to her.

Zack slowly, reluctantly made his way to the seat and got comfortable, tossing his tool-bag down on the glossy, marble floor.

"What is your place here?" Mei Li asked, lounging in a cat-like way. "I am curious to know you."

"I'm just the handyman," Zack said, and thought of Kadaj. He wouldn't have minded giving it a try, even with the danger that Reno brought with him. He saw potential in Kadaj, possibilities for something great, and he wanted better things for the boy than a life as a mobster's kept-boy and lackey. Bitterly, he sighed again, "I'm just a handyman…"

"Trained to notice details," Mei Li repeated, and laughed lightly. "What were you before you were a handyman?"

"Afraid," he shortly said, and got to his feet. "Look, if Kadaj comes back, I would encourage you to plead ignorance and get out of here—he's dangerous and Reno is even worse."

"I have no fear of Reno," Mei Li told him, apparently unperturbed by Zack's sudden tension and the way he shot to his feet. Her dark, glittering eyes watched him snatch up his tool-bag and sling it over his shoulder.

"Good luck," Zack said, and headed for the door. However much Mei Li might come across as a curious, pleasant, and delicate woman, Zack was pretty sure she was none of those things. And if there was one subject which Zack refused to discuss, one subject which would turn him into a taciturn and cold person not at like himself, it was his past.

* * *

He kept thinking of the look on Zack's face—disappointed, surprised.

"You are very quiet, my Jewel," Tseng remarked, his hand still cupping Kadaj's thigh, a cool and dangerous weight that made his heart race.

"I have nothing to say," Kadaj informed him, speaking in the clipped and guttural tones of his home language. Zack had looked like he'd just had an important illusion shattered as Kadaj had rolled up the window…Had a date _really_ meant that much to him? Why did he care who Kadaj left with, it wasn't like Zack would really want to be serious in the end, right? Kadaj should just take what he could get while the getting was good…

"Reno has informed me that he would be gone today," Tseng casually mentioned. "I wanted to get together for dinner tonight but he said that he would be busy."

Kadaj bit his lip, wondering who it was this time.

"I wouldn't know," he said, his voice cool but a little unsteady. Sometimes, no matter how old he felt or how much shit he'd lived through, he just couldn't help being a young man barely out of childhood.

"I had thought that he would be with you today, of all days," Tseng murmured, his sly dark eyes on Kadaj's face. "But then, he probably never bothered to tell you the significance of this day…"

Despite himself, Kadaj shifted a little to face him, intrigued.

Tseng's cold smile widened and he purred, "Why, my little Jewel, today is your birthday."

Stunned, Kadaj could only stare at him, his full mouth parted on a silent gasp.

* * *

"Hey," Reno said, smirking as he looked out of the car window at the passing street. "It's all good."

"It's working?" Rufus asked, his voice high with excitement over the phone.

"Yeah," Reno told him, settling back in the seat and taking another deep drag off of his smoke. "Give me another few days to get him softened up and it shouldn't take long after that."

Rufus uttered a loud whoop of victory and Reno hung up on him.

He was such an asshole, anyway. The only reason that Reno was even _doing_ this was because of Yazoo…

The car pulled up at his house as dusk fell over the city, bringing her to full wakefulness after a long, sleepy day. Reno got out and stretched, yawning a little and kinda sore from the batting cages. Ignoring his bodyguards, he tossed his smoke, rocked his arms back and forth a little, and quickly skimmed up the stairs to the front door.

His place was usually never very busy before seven, and it had an abandoned air about it since his beauties were all either sleeping or going about their daily business. Glad of the quiet, Reno left his guards in the foyer and scaled the stairs to his suite, idly wondering if Kadaj was home. Maybe they could go back to bed and get another good fuck in before sleeping off last night…

He opened the door and gaped in astonishment to find someone standing just on the other side, a mischievous smile on her beautiful face.

"Reno," Mei Li sighed, and giggled. "I've missed you!"

* * *

There were three questions that Reeve Tuesti never wanted to ask himself upon waking up:

_ Who am I holding?_

_Why am I naked?_

_ Who _exactly_ is spooning me?_

Because having to ask those questions meant that terrible things had gone wrong in the life of a mild-mannered and overly-cautious starving artist.

Unfortunately, Reeve woke asking all three.

His grainy, swollen eyes barely forced themselves open when he realized that he was spooning a slender little body. Startled, he craned his head up and found himself staring in stark astonishment at the gently snoring White Rose of Wutai.

Which made him very aware of the fact that he was naked.

Which immediately took second burner to the fact that an equally male and equally naked someone was fitted just as tightly to _his_ back as he was fitted to Yuffie's.

Uttering a little peep of alarm, Reeve scrambled over Yuffie's relaxed body and fell on the floor, casting around for his clothing in a room he did not recognize. He split his attention between his clothing search and a helpless appreciation for the décor before finally finding his pants hanging over the back of a plush armchair. He hopped around in his haste to get them on and squeaked again when he looked back at the bed to find Yuffie watching him with curiosity.

"What're you doing, Reeve? Come back to bed, it's too early to get up," she mumbled, even though by the darkness beyond the windows it was probably only just early evening. Without further ado, she rolled over to snuggle against the male portion of the Shock Reeve To Death and Back Show—Genesis.

The man yawned and nestled Yuffie to his chest, not even slitting an eyelid. In a low, sleepy voice he admonished, "Reeve, panicking never did anyone any good. You've left a perfectly warm and comfortable bed to stand there gaping at us—if I were you, I'd just lose the pants and come back to paradise."

Reeve was momentarily too offended to be embarrassed, and drew himself fully up to his modest height to declare, "_You drugged me_!"

Genesis chuckled a little and _did_ slit an eye, smirking at him. "No, darling, I accidentally gave you the wrong pill. I realized it after you started painting mammoths on your hotel mirror with ketchup packets. But, on the bright side, it _did_ take care of your headache."

"You're a kidnapping rapist!" Reeve told him, and found his shirt and shoes, yanking them on with trembling hands.

Genesis made a grumpy sound and sighed, "That's next week's play, my dear. Really, Reeve, come back to bed."

"Yeah, you're making this way harder than it should be," Yuffie put in, and yawned, snuggling into the pillows.

Fuming, Reeve stalked out of the room only to return a few moments later in angry resignation.

"Lost?" Genesis inquired, smirking.

"Loan me 20 Gil so I can get a cab," Reeve said, stiff with fury. "We'll call it a bribe not to have you arrested."

"Check my nightstand, love," Genesis told him, and appeared to go back to sleep.

Reeve dug in the wallet on the nightstand and took out a 20 Gil note, shortly saying, "I'll pay you back as soon as I'm able."

"Don't worry about it," Genesis sighed. "It was my pleasure."

Reeve frowned ferociously but couldn't come up with a snappy comeback, so he opted for leaving with a little dignity intact.

"Oh, and Reeve?" Genesis said, halting him at the door. "I'm sorry about your boxers—in my defense you _were_ a little frantic to get out of them."

Reeve slammed the door on his way out, opened it, and slammed it again for emphasis before he went out of the grand row-house to hail a cab on the busy street below.

"What's he so mad about?" Yuffie asked, wriggling around a little to get comfortable. "It isn't like you lit his undies on fire on purpose or anything, people drop cigarettes all of the time!"

Genesis shrugged a little and said, "Perhaps he just doesn't remember what happened. He _did_ call me a kidnapping racist."

"Rapist," Yuffie corrected. "He called you a rapist. Told you I shoulda been at his back."

"Spooning just doesn't work that way, darling," Genesis sighed. "Shortest to the front, that's the rule. Now, go back to sleep, I'm tired of drama for once."

"Wonders never cease," Yuffie laughed, but fell back to sleep within moments.

* * *

Kadaj's eyes swept closed as soft lips trailed over his cheek. His heart thundered in his chest but even the fear could not dampen his excitement. After a long afternoon and evening spent celebrating his birthday, he was ripe for this pampering.

Tseng had flown him to Dai Jiao via private jet and had held a celebration at what Kadaj could only describe as his palace in honor of Kadaj's birthday. There had been dancers, games, a feast to make him faint with glee, a play staged just for his amusement—it was all very heady stuff for one so young, and the rich gifts only made him more vulnerable to Tseng's advances.

Now, splayed out on heavily embroidered silk sheets on a massive, low bed in the heart of the jet, Kadaj was pretty sure that life in Dai Jiao was every bit as perfect as Tseng claimed it would be.

"My Jewel, how long I have waited," Tseng breathed, and his smooth, cool hands warmed as they slid over Kadaj's bare flesh, brushing down his slender sides while that moist, full mouth drifted down to nip at his earlobe.

Kadaj shivered but smiled, hoping the short trip to Midgar would give them time enough for this. He slid his arms around Tseng's neck, drawing him closer so that all of that blue-black, soft hair fell around his face. Tseng's body was slender but shockingly strong, pale white all over and as bereft of body hair as Kadaj's own.

"I had wished to wait, Kadaj," Tseng murmured, and the possessive gleam that lit his dark eyes made Kadaj shiver again, woozy with power. "But I find that I cannot resist you, my delicious and delicate little Jewel…"

"Why wait?" Kadaj asked, and leaned up to kiss him, to nip at his full lower lip and suck on his soft skin. "Consider this my final present, Tseng."

"Oh, never that," Tseng assured him, and smiled slightly, those dark eyes shuttering. "I will grace you with gifts until time takes you from me, Kadaj. It is a singular pleasure of mine, to give you what your heart desires."

Kadaj blushed, surprised that those words affected him. He thought briefly of Zack's open, honest offer, his straightforward way of asking for a chance with Kadaj. There was no entendre there, no double-meanings, no mystery and no danger…

But he _wanted_ mystery, he _wanted_ danger…He wasn't ready to give down-to-earth, practical, and patient a try just yet, not when dangerous, frightening, and powerful was drawing his slender body close.

Kadaj pushed Zack from his thoughts and wriggled his legs around Tseng's slender, strong hips.

"No, you be still," Tseng admonished, purring, his mouth curving up in a soft, mischievous smile. "You work for nothing _this_ day, Kadaj."

Kadaj closed his eyes and settled back with a smile, relaxing utterly while Tseng's clever, warm mouth began exploring his soft, sensitive skin.

* * *

Zack had no idea how long he'd been laying on his bed, lost in thought. He briefly considered going back to check on Mei Li, but she'd made it pretty apparent that his help was not required.

Her questions, though, _those_ lingered. They got him to thinking about Gongaga again, about everything that had happened to force him into Midgar, to drag him down to lowly handyman of a notorious and dangerous pimp-cum-mobster.

He wondered if he'd come far enough, if he'd fled fast enough, if the past could be left behind like dirt in a path. He should feel lucky to have such a room, to have such a job in such an ugly city—it was more than he deserved, hunted as he was. No one would look for him here, not in a whorehouse, not in the heart of Reno's own personal abode. It would never occur to those on his trail that he might chose to hide with the kind of people he'd wound up with.

Despite what had happened, they would still think that they _knew_ him, and in knowing him they would assume that a whorehouse would be the last place in the world he would stay.

'_Stop it_,' he admonished, sitting up to put his head in his hands. He wondered how long he would be in limbo here in Midgar, existing day to day but never _living_, not ever again. He didn't deserve to have a life.

Not when he'd taken one from someone else.

* * *

"Mei Li!" Reno gasped, and automatically looked around for the spitting hellcat otherwise known as Kadaj. When he realized they were alone, he slammed the door closed behind him and threw the crossbar—not even Kadaj could get in when _that_ baby was in place.

She watched his movements, languid interest in her dark eyes, her head cocked.

"When did you get here?" he asked, and licked his lips just looking at her.

"Just last night," she cooed, and smiled at him. "Tseng _shifu_ sent for me."

Leave it to Tseng to bring her over here—a peace offering, maybe, or just a flat-out bribe. He must want Kadaj _ baaaad_.

"Haven't you missed me?" Mei Li pouted, and her deft little hands began loosening her clothing, letting the layers of silk and satin fall open to bare her impressive breasts.

Reno felt his knees weaken at the sight, his racing heart picking up its pace as more and more of her clothing fell away.

"You come with me," she said, and turned just as the last layer dropped to catch at her elbows, drawing a softly voiced complaint from him when she denied him the pleasure of seeing her lithe body entirely unclothed.

He followed her in a kind of heated daze, still shocked that she was _here_. He wasn't even sure what to do about the situation—she couldn't _stay_, Kadaj would kill her!—but when she draped artfully on his bed with that remaining bit of cloth draped across her hips, he moved around to stand next to her.

"Bad boy," she purred, her little-girl voice deepening just slightly. She smirked at him and reached for something on the nightstand, and he watched her drop a pill onto her tongue.

Reno bent down and kissed her, letting her press that pill beneath his tongue, slumping forward a little onto her as it hit his system.

Her voice came from a distant tunnel when she said, "Bad, bad boy, Reno. What is Mei Li to do with you?"

He didn't really care, as long as she touched him.

Reno let her drag him onto the bed, let her wrestle him out of his clothes while he buried his face in her large breasts, wishing she would rub that slender, curvaceous body against him and give him what he wanted.

* * *

Tseng was calm, he was placid, he was neutral…

He reminded himself of this over and over as the heat built in his body with every soft kiss, every tender touch. He focused on such gentleness, focused on his goal—seduce his little Jewel with worship, earn his trust. Once the boy decided to return with him to Dai Jiao, _then_ Tseng could have him as he wished, _then_ Kadaj would understand that air of frantic, forced cheerfulness at his celebration and see that everyone feared Tseng Si Ming to the core of their beings.

But for now, he was tenderness itself.

Kadaj twisted a little beneath him, his lithe body undulating. Tseng took a deep breath, thinking that Reno had certainly taught him well. Even though he'd told Kadaj not to move, not to make an effort, the boy had pouted and defied him and touched him with a young boy's reckless eagerness.

"Tseng," he moaned, feverish, his jade eyes slits of glittering color, his sylph-like body restless. Small, strong hands clutched at Tseng's shoulders, dragging him down, demanding attention.

Tseng smiled, pleased to see him so undone. He truly was a Cetran at its finest.

"Hush now, my Jewel," he murmured. "I live to do as you please…"

He drew back and gently turned Kadaj onto his belly on the smooth, warm sheets, stroking his long back before peppering it with kisses. His hands spanned the boy's slender waist, fingers curling down against his hipbones for a light, tight squeeze. Murmuring soft words of praise, Tseng lifted him up onto his knees, the slender sweep of his back dipping down to that scattering of silver hair across the pillows. It was a position that suited his little Jewel—one of abject surrender with his face buried in the pillows and his perfect backside presented in the air.

Tseng settled behind him and dipped his head, running his tongue along the seam of his buttocks, trailing down tight flesh to the taut skin of his balls. His sex hung heavy and swollen, a curve of hard flesh swaying with the slightest of Kadaj's movements. Tseng turned his head a little and drew that little sac into his mouth, sucking softly, letting his tongue play over it until Kadaj was uttering breathless little cries, squirming against him.

"Sh," he breathed again, and slid his tongue back up to puckered skin, his hands sliding to grip the boy's hips as his tongue gently probed him.

Kadaj sobbed softly in pleasure, surprised that Tseng would do such a thing. While _he_ often did such things for Reno, it was a rare occasion that the favor was returned, and Kadaj couldn't remember the last time that it had occurred.

His hands clenched in the sheets while Tseng's clever tongue made him wet and ready, his whole body weak with want, his hard sex throbbing into empty air.

Tseng whispered something against him and drew back, gently pushing Kadaj down onto his belly. The man moved between the wide spread of Kadaj's legs and the boy felt his warm, lithe body settle over him.

For a shocking second he was surprised at the difference, thrown off by how much more slender and light this body was—he was so used to Reno's wiry but muscular frame, so used to his whipcord-slim, fighting-dog physique that Tseng's graceful but light body utterly shocked him.

But a split-second later he felt the hot, sticky head of him pressing in, and Kadaj lifted his hips a little, moaning as the man settled fully onto and into him.

"My Jewel," Tseng whispered, and slipped one hand beneath him to cup and squeeze his aching body. His other arm braced against the headboard and his hips began to move, driving deep with slow, rocking thrusts.

Kadaj gasped in soft, rhythmic, breathless little starts, straining up and back against the weight of him, eyes closed and body awash with pleasure. Tseng's body was tense above his, his hot breath pulsing against the nape of Kadaj's neck. The man paused and slid his long legs onto the outside of the boy's own, forcing them closed, forcing his own body up higher on Kadaj's. The second he started thrusting again Kadaj felt the difference—every slow push of his body rubbed against Kadaj's sweet-spot.

"Tseng!" he whimpered, writhing now, not caring if he was speeding things up. This was for _him_, right? And he _wanted_ it.

That hand squeezed him faster and with more pressure, milking him while that amazing sensation washed over him.

Kadaj wailed softly and pushed himself up on his hands, back arched, forcing himself harder onto Tseng's working, pulsing cock. He deliberately tightened, squeezing back as the pleasure crested, his body jerking uncontrollably and his cries loud as he lost himself to a powerful orgasm.

He arched over into the pillows, screaming hoarsely into their muffling covers while his muscles jumped and twitched, that rupturing of pleasure still blossoming in his groin and speeding out over his whole body. The hand on his cock moved urgently as cum shot out of his pulsing flesh, the wet slap of Tseng's hand only causing Kadaj to shudder and writhe as he peaked again with a loud, pained cry.

"Mine," Tseng breathed, so calm and detached, still riding Kadaj's wildly twisting body with those slow, deep thrusts—untouched, unmoved, so _cold_.

"Tseng," he moaned, his voice thick, his body rapidly succumbing to lethargy as his orgasm faded. "Cum on me."

He was pleased to feel that hand still for a moment, to feel a slight check in those deep thrusts.

"Cum on my back," he purred, and wriggled beneath him. He hoped he would, it was one of his private pleasures that Reno often took advantage of—when Kadaj was fucking someone that Reno had brought home for him, the man always lay next to them and watched, always triggered Kadaj's orgasms by coming in his face, on his chest, on his back, _anywhere_ as long as Kadaj felt it, knew it was happening…

Tseng's mouth covered his nape and suddenly he bit down, earning a soft, pleased gasp from Kadaj. The man's body shifted and he pulled out, the hot tip of him leaving a wet trail up the small of Kadaj's back. His knees pulled up a little, holding his weight above Kadaj, but that hand kept squeezing Kadaj's spent, throbbing sex.

"Please," he moaned, and his eyelids fluttered helplessly. When he felt that first hot splash splatter up his back Kadaj whimpered softly and clenched tight in yet another bone-wrenching orgasm, eyes closed in ecstasy.

* * *

"You're my bad boy, aren't you?" Mei Li purred, and Reno felt her voice against his skin, soft and velvety. He shuddered and wondered what in the fuck she'd given him, but the concern took second place to the shivers wracking his spine because Mei Li was _here_ in all her gorgeous glory. And now that she was here he could finally let go, finally indulge in the only kind of sex that truly satisfied him. Already, his heart was racing. She just had that effect on him—fuck, half of the time all he had to do was look at her and think about her naked and he'd be hard. Now, with her cruel little claws scoring his thighs and her tongue teasing the tip of his cock, he was hard pressed not to bust a nut all over her smooth face.

"Mei Li," he slurred, and his voice sounded so weird to himself. Strange lethargy stole the strength from his limbs so that he just lay there on his bed with her curled between his legs. His hazy eyes focused a little on her face and he made a low sound when she shrugged off the last of her clothing and slithered up him, the heavy weight of her large breasts sliding over his throbbing body.

He closed his eyes and started panting, wanting to look but knowing better—if he looked, he'd cum. Fuck, just the feeling of her skin against his was putting him dangerously close. And why?

Because Mei Li was the only woman he'd ever found who was everything he'd ever needed, ever fantasized about.

"Poor boy, ready to go," she said, and her tinkling, sharp laughter lifted goosebumps on his skin. "Well, it's been a long time, I understand that. We can play more later, my Reno. My little boy is hurting, isn't he? He needs his Mei Li."

She moved off of him and Reno rolled over onto all fours, now panting harshly, loudly. He trembled and made a low, keening sound when she slid up behind him. Her talon-tipped hand gripped his hard cock cruelly and he gasped aloud to feel the hot, round tip of her pushing against him—no lube, no prepping, he was just too excited to care.

A hard throb shot through his cock when he felt her pushing in and she laughed again, cooing, "So eager—my darling Reno is so neglected…"

He was panting and undone, his body shaking hard, a sheen of sweat on his skin as she pressed deep. He felt the heavy weight of her breasts settle against his back as she arched over him, felt the hard nubs of her nipples graze his skin as she thrust her hot cock balls-deep inside him.

That was all it took, his fantasy made flesh and fucking him—Reno grit his teeth and bucked beneath her in an agony of pleasure, coming in thick, violent spurts across his bed. Stars burst behind his eyelids and keening, whining cries tore their way free of his throat while Mei Li roughly rode him straight into mindless rapture.


End file.
